How can social media tools help us create and manage information?

Guidry et all highlight that “Pinterest, with its visual focus, lends itself to the use of narratives” (Guidry et all, 2015). While their study focused on Pinterest, they rightly noted that the same could be said about most social media platforms. Therefore, it is extremely important that as social media users, we understand how to manage the information that we not only see but also post. Understanding the interface we are using is key, while recommendations based on our activity can be useful, they also present a danger of creating an echo chamber, reinforcing the wrong kinds of information. As Sree Sreenivasan notes “The best way to ensure success is to think carefully before you post, and constantly evaluate what you are posting and your overall online activities” (Sreenivasan). Not only should we be careful of what we post but what we consume and choose to pass on too. Social media should be used responsibly and with greater critical thinking than one might imagine. This being said, when used correctly, social media is a great to tool to gather information and share information with like-minded individuals. 

Guidry J.P.D., Carlyle K., Messner M., Jin Y. (22nd September 2015). On Pins and Needles: How Vaccines are Portrayed on Pinterest. [Electronic Version] Vaccine. 33 (39), 5051-5056.

Sreenivasan, S. (n.d) How to Use Social Media in Your Career. New York Times, Business. Retrieved 28th February, 2020 from https://www.nytimes.com/guides/business/social-media-for-career-and-business