Do your part. Stop the spread of disinformation.

It’s no surprise within the past six to eight weeks all anyone can talk about is the Coronavirus. Whether it is the news, the CDC, doctors and nurses, or your neighborhood blogger, there are new updates every hour without fail. However in addition to facts and experts talking about the spread of the Coronavirus there is also a lot of opinions and plain misinformation. One of the biggests culprits for this spread of misinformation is social media because in an age of social media anyone and everyone has a platform.

Everyone is allowed to give their two cents and share their view on the current situation, however this freedom to do this comes with a lot of responsibility. Many people do not do the proper research before sharing a post or “news” they’ve seen on their timelines and feeds. Instead people see something that seems to follow the guidelines of their beliefs and immediately click the repost of share button. In a time where there is an overwhelming amount of voices contributing to noise it is our duty to share responsibly. Yes, post your words of encouragement and your memes and whatever helpful tips you have to stay busy while quarantined, but don’t repost to repost, and contribute to the spread of misinformation. 

For my public service announcement video I wanted to highlight a message of sharing responsibly especially during a time that is so uncertain for everyone. I started with a video of my sister and I to frame the video to show everyone is being personally affected by this pandemic. I went on to use a video of the BBC to explain how information is spreading during this pandemic; through official statements by the government, scientific opinions, and through media campaigns. This clip was interrupted by Donald Trump using his coined term “fake news”. I want to show the overwhelming distrust of the news and media. I then used a clip, to exemplify the media campaigns that were previously mentioned, of an advertisement by Netflix, whose goal was to punish those who are not socially distancing by spoiling their favorite Netflix shows. This clip is followed by images of false information that have been widely circulated on social media platforms. In addition to sharing false information many people have added their own opinions to the mix. Therefore I used clips that I personally had seen on social media platforms such as Tik Tok and Instagram of celebrities, such as Vanessa Hudgens, giving their opinion on the possible outcomes of the coronavirus. Not only were these posts incentive but they were also factually incorrect, therefore my PSA was “Do: share encouragement, funny videos, and workout tips…Don’t: share uninformed posts or opinions.” I then juxtaposed Vanessa’s video with a Tik Tok made by Tyga to show examples of what to do and not to do. I ended my video with the final message of “Share responsibly. Stop the spread of disinformation”.