Critical Thinking: Finding + Evaluating the Right Information Online: Social Media as a Source

Is it appropriate to use a tweet, a Facebook post, a TikTok, an Instagram post, or other forms of social media as a source in an assignment?

These sources can sometimes be used in assignments, but it is important to ensure that the social media accounts that you are consulting are official and reliable. Social media sources should only be used to supplement your main argument, rather than to form the basis of it. This, of course, may be different for visual assignments. For instance, you may be writing an essay on a piece of art that has been posted on Instagram. In this case, it is okay for the social media source to form the foundation for the assignment.  

You can check if a social media post is trustworthy by looking for indicators that the post is from a reliable account. The social media accounts of organisations will usually have a link to the official website in their social media, and conversely also have a link to their official social media on their website. This will help make sure you have the right account. 

Image Source: India.com

It is important to note that the blue checkmark on Twitter no longer indicates that an account is authentic and official. Now, the blue checkmark simply indicates that the user subscribes to Twitter Blue, a paid subscription service that gives them access to additional features on the platform. 

If you are looking for more information on Twitter's profile labels and checkmarks, you might find this article helpful. 

Image source: 99 Designs

Source: Butte College Library

The SIFT method of evaluation may help you to figure out if a source can be used in an assignment. The SIFT method is a four-step process which can be applied to nearly every online source. The steps are as follows: 

STOP: Stop and consider the source that you are looking at. Does it seem reliable? Is it authentic and unbiased? Who is the author/provider, and do they appear trustworthy? 

INVESTIGATE: Search the web for information about the source. Try to learn more about the author, the social media account, the organisation, the news outlet, the company, the website or whatever it may be that is providing the source. 

FIND BETTER COVERAGE: Cross-check your information. If a number of reputable sources have said the same thing as your source, the information is likely trustworthy. In addition, ensure that your source is the most reliable and authoritative source of information on the topic. You may come across a more suitable source while you were carrying out your cross-check. 

TRACE: Trace all information back to its original source. Information, images, videos and sound recordings may be edited to support a false claim. Finding the original source of the information will provide you with more context and will help to ensure that you are not being misled or deceived by your source.  

It is important to be critical of any social media source you use, even when it seems reliable and authoritative at first look. We must remember the context in which sources operate. While they may be reliable and authoritative in one sense, this does not mean they are expert in every field. 

A good example of this is the tweets of former U.S. President Donald Trump in relation to medical issues and advice. On paper, former President Trump hits all of the marks for a reliable source, as he has authority, being the then U.S. President, and he had a verified checkmark on Twitter.

BBC NEWS: Coronavirus: Outcry after Trump suggests injecting disinfectant as treatment.

However, this is when being critical of sources is key. Former President Trump is not a medical professional and has no formal medical training. This illustrates why it is crucial to critically think whether a source is an appropriate authority in a particular context.

POLITICO: Donald Trump is not a doctor. But he plays one on Twitter.

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Social media has changed the way we access the news and information. 

Today, many of us get our news from our social media feeds, instead of straight from journalists. The "news" found on social media feeds often takes the form of editorials or opinions about the news. Even worse, the "news" on social media is sometimes based on false or misleading information. 

Adapted from:  Colby-Sawyer College Library & Tobias Rose-Stockwell/Medium

The main thing to be aware of when using social media for news is the filter bubble. When we browse and search social media, everyone does not see the same content and search results. Your friend's For You page on TikTok, for example, will be different to your own. Social media feeds use algorithms to show us posts that match up with our opinions and interests. This means we mostly see news articles and content that confirm our own viewpoint and which don't show us the other side or challenge our perspectives. This is what is called the filter bubble.

Adapted from:  Colby-Sawyer College Library & Tobias Rose-Stockwell/Medium

This video, while over 10 years old, sums up very well why we have to be aware of filter bubbles and the effect they can have.