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FUTURE FOCUS •••
FACEBOOK TIPS If you find undesirable ‘ stuff ’ on your facebook page , you don ’ t have to feel helpless . You can manage what appears there . In the top right hand corner of the post you will see a drop down arrow
� V . Click on it and see a list : Save link , Hide post , Unfollow , Report this post and Turn on / off notifications for this post .
• If you wish to refer to the post later , click ‘ save link ’ and you will find it remains under saved links in the sidebar .
• To delete a post from your wall , ‘ Hide post ’.
Laura McClure :
• Who is the author ? - Always look for a journalist ’ s byline . Learn more about their journalism and whether they built their reputation on reporting the truth .
• What are the claims ? - Real news will include multiple primary sources when discussing a controversial claim . Fake news sites use fake sources . When in doubt , dig deeper . Facts can be verified .
• When was it published ? - Look at the publication date . If it ’ s breaking news , be extra careful .
• Where was it published ? - Real news is published by trustworthy media outlets with a strong fact checking record .
• How does it make you feel ? - Fake news or propaganda is designed to awaken strong emotions . If you feel super angry , pause and take a breath . Then check on other news sites to decide if it is real or fake . Don ’ t believe everything you read . There is no substitute for critical thinking .
BE AWARE : YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE INFLUENCES PEOPLE
Your reputation on-line When we interviewed potential new tenants for a townhouse , it was a simple matter of typing a name into Facebook ’ s search bar to get an idea of the tenant ’ s suitability - or not ! Naturally the chap who had uploaded photo after photo of himself out partying wildly … well he was quickly crossed off the list !
Do you know a jobseeker ? In the same vein nowadays when a company is looking to hire a new employee , they do their research . This means they are likely to take a sneak-peek into social media accounts . They can form a pretty good impression of an applicant beyond the tidy CV - and they are totally within the law doing so . So if you know of anyone looking for a job , I recommend you advise them to do some social media auditing to tidy up their online image !
• If you are interested in a thread of conversation , click ‘ Turn on notifications for this post ’ and that conversation will appear on news .
• If a post is offensive it is worthwhile reporting it - the Facebook administrators do respond .
DON ’ T BE DUPED : CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS Roxanne Bailey lecturer at NWU , says critical thinking is an important life skill . It must be an objective of education since we live in an era where individuals are confronted daily by a magnitude of information and we need to distinguish between truths and untruths . We all have a responsibility to hone our higher-order thinking skills . This is a challenge but it is not an impossible task , particularly if we choose to guard our minds against misinformation . Just as information is available at the touch of a finger , so too is a double check . Finally consider discussing this issue with your children . They will have even more to do with online ‘ news ’ than you and need to learn to always check the credibility of what they read and learn online !
SENWES Scenario • AUG / SEP 2017 53