Case Reflection 7: Anthony Weiner
The story of Anthony Weiner was one that I hadn't heard of, which is surprising, but nonetheless one of the more common stories in the news. With the growth and popularity of social media it is extremely common to have these types of stories become so popular. Since public officials and people in higher positions are active on social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook, it is common for them to be over sharing. Anyone, even members of Congress, can get caught up in the storm that is social media. People love the attention that comes with social media, and even though Anthony Weiner was already receiving attention because of the fact that he was a member of Congress, he still wanted more.
Another issue that is very prevalent in the news because of social media is fact checking. Once something is posted on the internet, it is there for everyone to see. That's what ending so many careers. The fact that in the pst, before social media, people could simply lie without having any consequences. Now if people are interested and want to dig up information, they have the resources to do so.
A story that came out in 2014, talked about how James Franco hit on a seventeen year old fan by messaging her on Twitter. He was being some what aggressive and persistent with the girl, even though she was a minor and he was 37 years old at the time. Once the girl came out with the accusations, Franco instantly denied them. Franco made a statement about how he would never do that, and so on. The girl ended up sharing and posting the screenshots of the messages between her and Franco. The messages showed Franco asking the girl where she lives, what her number is, and when she turns 18. This is essentially the same situation as Weiner found himself in. Without social media, I'm not sure either situations would have happened, and if they did, I don't think there would have been any hard evidence to prove that it did happen.
Another article I found talked about how social media amplifies the division between elites and the middle class. The elites make money off of the posts that they make on social media and the middle class feeds the profiles. It was an interesting article to read, and I felt that it tied into the discussion.
Another issue that is very prevalent in the news because of social media is fact checking. Once something is posted on the internet, it is there for everyone to see. That's what ending so many careers. The fact that in the pst, before social media, people could simply lie without having any consequences. Now if people are interested and want to dig up information, they have the resources to do so.
A story that came out in 2014, talked about how James Franco hit on a seventeen year old fan by messaging her on Twitter. He was being some what aggressive and persistent with the girl, even though she was a minor and he was 37 years old at the time. Once the girl came out with the accusations, Franco instantly denied them. Franco made a statement about how he would never do that, and so on. The girl ended up sharing and posting the screenshots of the messages between her and Franco. The messages showed Franco asking the girl where she lives, what her number is, and when she turns 18. This is essentially the same situation as Weiner found himself in. Without social media, I'm not sure either situations would have happened, and if they did, I don't think there would have been any hard evidence to prove that it did happen.
Another article I found talked about how social media amplifies the division between elites and the middle class. The elites make money off of the posts that they make on social media and the middle class feeds the profiles. It was an interesting article to read, and I felt that it tied into the discussion.
interesting read about Franco. I hadn't heard about either story. Nice work!
ReplyDeleteI also liked how you tied in the article with James Franco. Great job!
ReplyDeleteGreat tie in with James Franco, I also like your articles.
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