How the Internet has Affected the Way People Read

Introduction

In the current age and time, people have become careless in regards to what they read and believe especially due to the high number of online news sources. Notably, the owners of these sources are out to promote their rationale which is in most cases generated from their own opinion or experience. Gone are the days when people used to read newspaper articles and magazines which were written by well-trained professionals thus contained accurate information. Sadly, the current internet technology has brought along the rise of blogging platform through which people seek to generate cash and popularity regardless of what they pass to the readers. This paper aims at determining how the current wide use of internet has affected the way people read.

The internet Misguides and Misleads People

Without a doubt, articles from the internet can be very misleading since the writer might be passing the information you want to hear rather than that which is correct. As opposed to newspaper and journal writers who have a reputation to protect, the current breed of writers cares less about their reputation as wrong as they get fame and huge traffic to their websites which translates to extra profits. A case example is when President Trump tweeted that he had won the popular vote, which was a lie but it earned him millions of curious followers on Twitter, most of whom believed the lie to ignorance and laziness of finding the correct information from reputable and trusted sources (Herold).

Why is Fake News Popular on the Internet?

The main aim of having fake news is to catch the reader's attention which is why such news has catchy titles and attractive images. This is as opposed to the genuine news which will have real titles and related pictures. As such, a well-written article from New York Times, which is a credible news source, will be ignored by most readers since it might appear boring compared to a partisan, badly-researched, speculative, redundant, or mundane article (Bliss). After reading such articles, most people will go ahead and share them with their friends and social media platforms, thus misleading even more people. The question that arises then is how can the general public be taught not to believe in or propagate fake news?

The Need for Media Literacy

According to advocacy groups and educators, this problem can only be rectified if there is a culture of media literacy. As such, those who read online articles will take time to analyze, evaluate, and compare different sources of information which will help in making an informed and responsible decision. In so doing, people will avoid leaving comments which promote fake news. Notably, there are some strategies which can be introduced in learning institutions to help boost the culture of critical thinking. This way students will easily spot fake news, and they will have ideas on where to look for credible information.

Conclusion

Without a doubt, the internet has affected the way people used to read and interpret the news. This can be accredited to the wide array of unverified articles, most of which are partisan or speculative. As such, most people end up being misled which is mainly due to their laziness and ignorance when it comes to seeking for credible information.

Cite this page