Facebook can be fun! I keep up with friends I don't see often. I get to share my photography and the fun I have with my dogs. I can read news from several sources. I can even play games if I want.
But more and more, I find my blood pressure rising to dangerous levels. Why?
Because people post those wonderful internet memes without checking to make sure they are correct! It's as though they intentionally spread misinformation. At least one thing is for sure: they don't check before they post.
Here's an example. A meme put out by some website called "For America" says this:
Students at a public school in California were forced to sing “there is no God but Allah and his prophet Muhammed.” Outrageous! No child should be forced to sing praises to “Allah”!
I went to the website. That's the entire story ... nothing else. So, let's just look at what was written and see why red flags should be waving immediately:
1) What public school? It isn't named and neither is the district.
2) Where in California? No mention of city.
3) Nobody quoted. Maybe a parent or teacher? How about a principal or pastor?
4) No source listed. No. Source. At. All.
When I saw the "story" (such as it is), I knew immediately something was fishy so I did some research. It took all of 30 seconds to find that the story is FALSE.
There were several hundred comments attached to that meme - folks all in an uproar because they bought into the meme hook, line and sinker. They didn't bother to take 30 seconds to check its veracity. And even when someone points out that it's bad information, they won't delete the post. I think I know why ...
They WANTED to believe it. The reasons? Hey, I've already done enough ... see if you can figure it out.
