So, you saw a video online that "proves" something, and you can't wait to share it. But,
could you have been discretely lied to?
In the following video, a journalist tells us of two tactics used in the media industry to
form a dramatic, compelling story that translates
into views, increased sharing of video content, and media buzz as well as confusion.
Notice the key words:
dramatic, compelling story. While we're all aware of the
entertainment value of news itself, I think most of us
would be quite surprised by how easily it is possible that we can be virtually seemlessly streamed false information in the form of distortions of
content. This may seem deliberate, and it may in part be, but I believe it is mostly the side effect of the
bottom line of the producers:
profit.
Think about all the videos available that have been seen. How many people have distorted views of reality due to the nature of video that in its
nature allows for a picture of almost any kind to be painted by the producers or creators of the content? More, these same techniques can easily be
applied to any content that is offered. We can all do it, and we probably often do so without realizing it. It's part of our personal biases, or
"wanting to believe."
Time to rethink what we've seen and heard and rethink about the serious limitations for what video can offer in terms of a medium for conveying of
accurate or false information.
Mods: I realize there is a thread sharing this video already, but I felt my thread is substantially different in the aim of my message and that it
would be appropriate as separate. The other one is focused specifically on Jesse Ventura while mine is on how videos are much a wrong avenue of choice
as a source of accurate (not false) information.