Scratch That Surface. Please.

Ok folks - let's call this post a public service announcement of sorts...especially for those of us who spend a good chunk of our lives on all forms of social media and the internet.

I don't want to focus solely on Facebook (though that is the place where most of my WTF sensors go off...), so I will say that the following guidelines apply to all forms of social media where "sharing", "liking", "re-posting" and "commenting" are expected actions and options.  I am asking you for a huge favor...before you do any of the actions that are air-quoted in the prior sentence, please adhere to the following simple rules:

STOP. THINK. RESEARCH AS NEEDED.

Listen, I am all about good conversation - I love a healthy debate, enjoy sharing my opinions and arguing my side of things.  BUT...I also love to learn about new things...and am more than open to changing my opinions on a given topic if what I am "learning" leads me in a new direction.

Case in point - thanks to my countless hours of research on all things autism, I have expanded my horizons dramatically on the topics of medical care, nutrition, neurological science, vaccinations, toxins, gluten, therapies, alternative medicine, insurance, IEPs...the list goes on.  When this journey began, I read everything. I believed everything. I didn't necessarily share everything.  I knew that much of what I was studying was "off the beaten path" and didn't want to be a shit-stirrer.  It wasn't about getting others to believe me - it was just about collecting knowledge to better help my son.

But now that I am a few years in...my feelings have changed.  I believe LESS, but I share MORE. Because I have quickly figured out that you definitely CAN'T believe everything you read.  And the explosion of social media has lead to an epidemic of over-sharing of misinformation...quotes, articles, blogs, photos...people tend to click that SHARE button before determining if they are sharing fact or fiction.  This is infuriating.

Why do I have such strong opinions on this? Hell, why is it any of my business? Well, for those of us that are out here "fighting the fight" in the Wonderful World of Autism, or against GMO food, or for equal rights, or against animal cruelty, or for your chosen political party, or against domestic abuse...or any "cause" that you have decided is worth your time and passion - nothing is more frustrating than witnessing the dissemination of lies, propaganda, exaggerations, and general misinformation about your chosen agenda.


ALL THE NEWS NOT FIT TO PRINT...Here's a news flash for you. Just because it is written on the internet does not make it true.  If you are reading an article and it sounds a little off, a bit hard to believe, maybe a touch hard to swallow...see where it came from.  Determine if you are reading something that is FACT.  There are a rash of satiric websites that exist solely to publish completely false "news" stories, and then the authors sit back in their chairs and LAUGH AT YOU as they watch you share, comment, like and re-post what they have created as if it was "bible".  Here is a short list of sites that are SATIRE. UNTRUE. NOT REAL NEWS.  Read the list, remember the list, and only re-post items from this list if you are doing it knowingly, and letting your peeps KNOW that you know so THEY know...got it? The Onion, Private Eye, Indecision Forever, Newsbiscuit, The Spoof, Sports Pickle, Unconfirmed Sources, CAP News, The Enduring Vision, Derf Magazine, News Mutiny, The Dandy Goat, Premature Eulogies, Not Safe For Home

And then we have Wikipedia, Uncyclopedia and Urban Dictionary - sites like these are almost WORSE than the satiric ones - because they are "user-defined" - any Schmo with a laptop can go on there and write whatever they want - WARNING! THESE SITES ARE NOT ACCURATE! DO NOT QUOTE THEM!

BLOG POSTS - UNBIASED OPINION OR "ON THE BOOKS"?  You may not know this, but there is an entire "business" out there involving fake blog posts.  What is the point of a fake blog post, you ask? How can it be fake if it's someone's blog? They are being paid to write it. Not paid like royalties, paid like briberies.  Still not following? People are paid money to write an "opinion" that someone in corporate America needs to be pushed upon the general public.  There are powerful and wealthy lobbyists for every stance, religion, cause and product in corporate America.  By planting this "propaganda" within an innocent blog post, they are able to forward their agenda unquestioned - because it's just one person's story, right?  Think about what you are reading.  Does it sound genuine? Use your instincts - if you aren't sure, Google the author's name - see what comes up.


WHO SAID THAT?  The quotes.  Oh, the quotes.  You may not realize this, but the majority of the "celebrity" quotes out there in the online universe were never actually spoken by those getting the credit. Case in point...our dear friend Marilyn Monroe.  If you were to use the internet as your judge, that woman was a goddamn genius.  This is false. There is no actual proof that she muttered ANY of the quotes that are regularly and repeatedly attributed to her.  In fact, her life and experiences tend to dispute most of those quotes.  But people see her face...and SHARE SHARE SHARE...hey, she was a beautiful and powerful woman that (many) men adored...isn't that enough? She needs to be a brainiac too? Marilyn is not alone - this also stands true for Audrey Hepburn, Jackie Kennedy...let's all stop putting words into their mouths please...Here's a great blog on this very topic...

Of course, you have the option of ignoring everything that I said here and going on in your little world of sharing everything under the sun...but you would be doing yourself a disservice.  Realize the impact of your opinions - yes, when you are sharing something, liking something or commenting favorably on something, you are forming an opinion. You are endorsing it.  You are lending it credibility. This is a powerful tool and should be respected accordingly.

Now...SHARE THIS POST!

(Only kidding...totally optional)