I began writing about this video series just about a year ago as we were staring down at more than a year of sniping, mis- and disinformation online connected to the current political contest. I was hoping that the funny geniuses at Crash Course would come up with a convenient recipe for how to traverse this difficult information situation. I got as far as Episode 8 and then life got in the way… ugh, I hate when that happens. If someone like moi, who actually has a college degree in Journalism, is frustrated at all of the steps needed to discern the News from all of the Noise on the Internet and social media, what hope is there for those unwilling to do more than repost when something hits their feeds that they like?

Then I recently committed the crime of posting a video that looks like a little girl is calling Trump a disgrace to his face without checking its “heritage.” Shit. Many were appalled at the little girl’s lack of respect, completely missing the humor of the situation and I eventually found the original clip (from a comedy show), etc., etc., etc. But that encouraged me to re-engage and finish this 10 episode series designed to help one not get tripped up by random crap that shows up in ones social media feed. 

So, let’s look at Episode 9: Click Restraint.

It should go without saying that if one cares at all about personal integrity, one should NOT just repost whatever pops up in ones feed without some double-checking (really, even if it’s just a “joke”… hard lesson learned by yours truly). So, just like enjoying a great meal, one should occasionally put ones fork down before shoveling more down ones gullet (or release the mouse before clicking SHARE immediately). And, if one does an online search, it’s best to not go with the top two or three responses (and one should be aware of “sponsored” responses that often occupy those top search results positions). Basically, don’t share-first-check-later (like I did… ugh), and don’t assume that the top search results are more “true” than the ones lower on the list. Just slow down, Junior, it’ll all still be there later and there’s definitely no shortage of places claiming to be authoritative resources, which is all the more reason to tread carefully and cautiously. Enjoy.

Previous Crash Course Navigating Digital Information posts:

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Tags: about the news, Crash Course, Crash Course Navigating Digital Info, reliable sources, search engines

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