How Social Media is being used to Influence Users

Assessment of News Source:

The news company that published the article is Axios, which leans slightly to the left. It was founded in 2017 by the former heads of Politico, another reputable news company. Several respectable public figures have invested in Axios, such as NBC, the widow of Steve Jobs, and the CEO of Dreamworks. Sara Fischer is the author of the article. She holds a bachelor’s degree in and a Master’s degree in, both from The George Washington University; she’s worked at Politico, CNN, The New York Times, and The Washington Post (isoj.org).

Summary:

Social media is being taken advantage of by people in power that want to influence and control specific audiences. Examples include the 2018 U.S. midterm election being influenced from Vladimir Putin’s party, Mexico’s political parties using Twitter to influence their elections, and the recent killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Saudi Arabia. Social media sites have greatly limited the amount of interference from outside parties, but companies and individuals still slip through their parameters and spread propaganda.

Analysis:

The article starts off by explaining a current social problem: powerful groups are “weaponizing social media technology to silence critics or exert control over vulnerable populations” (Fischer 2018). The article explains this is important because of the limited chances of stopping it. Several countries are listed where misuse of social media has taken place for ulterior motives. The most extreme is the government of Saudi Arabia. They received much criticism worldwide for being strictly Muslim, homophobic, and sexist. Furthermore, they have recently been caught sending trolls waiting to spew death threats to journalists. There is a strong worry on behalf of the author regarding unregulated and biased information being shown to easily-influenced peoples.

Opinion:

I think the setup of Axios’s articles are brilliant; they’re easy to read and easy to analyze. “Why it Matters,” “The Big Picture,” and, “What’s Next?” are different sections in the article, clearly stating the author’s intentions and how it has an impact. The author also gave multiple examples that helped me understand what she was talking about.



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