As the third segment of my political rampage, I would like to start by saying; I truly don’t give a shit who you vote for tomorrow.
I’m not sharing this to make anyone feel stupid. I’m doing it because I have been called out several times for not acknowledging conspiracy theories surrounding this election. I was made to feel stupid because the “FACTS” were written in black and white.
Yes, yes they were written in black and white. However, they are NOT facts and they were written by teenagers in Macedonia.
This article was sent to me by a friend a few days ago. I spent most of this morning re-reading and researching the content.
My goal is to show how easy it is to publish false information. Not only easy, but legal and profitable. It’s easy to see why these domains and their content are getting so many hits. Take a look at these domain names and tell me you wouldn’t be misled at first sight.
WorldPoliticus.com, TrumpVision365.com, USConservativeToday.com, DonaldTrumpNews.co, and USADailyPolitics.com
These teens in Macedonia are capitalizing on our need for new information 24/7.
They are getting rich off of our Facebook clicks, likes, and re-posts.
I have tried to explain over and over again why I don’t believe half of what I read. I have no problem reading an opinion piece from a journalist or blogger, but I cannot make an educated decision based on a piece with no substantial backing.
Let me clarify what I mean by substantial backing. In high school, college, or tech-school you have likely done a written assignment in which a bibliography is required. This is how you cite the work you have done. In the bibliography, you provide the sources that helped to compile your piece. Without turning this post into a writing class, most of us can remember some requirements.
At least one book, one magazine article, one internet piece. Does this sound familiar to my 30 something peeps? (I’m sure required sources have changed).
Again, to my 30+ people, we all remember that one teacher who refused to take any internet citing. We were up in the library my friends, using the card catalog and shit. If you used a source deemed “UN-fit” by the standard or guideline that the teacher provided, you lost a letter grade. DONE! It taught us to be responsible writers.
I don’t want to date myself here, but we used encyclopedias. WHAT?
I think we are all pretty sick of hearing “FACT CHECK” at this point, so I’ll just let that one go.
Happy Voting Everyone !
SlightlySarah 