The eleventh week of Social Media & Society has delivered another informative and creative presentation by group four covering Frenemies: How Social Media Polarizes America, by Jaime Settle. Group four did a fabulous job at displaying Settle’s perspectives and message throughout her book. She presented her well executed scrutinization on the central idea of Facebook. Throughout the week we also discussed and viewed Social Media Networks Are the Handmaiden to Dangerous Propaganda and The Newsroom “Boston” episode. David Patrikarakos and the New York Times discussed the correlation between ISIS propaganda and serious acts of terrorism. Lastly, The Newsroom recreated and covered the terrible events that transpired on April 15th, 2013 and the following days that transpired in Boston Massachusetts.

The Newsroom season three episode one, was created and written by Aaron Sorkin, and stars Jeff Daniels as Will McAvoy. The episode begins with the entire newsroom viewing the explosion at the Boston Marathon. The Atlantis Cable News (ACN) is completely taken back and scrambles to find the facts and gain the upper hand on the story. The ACN gains knowledge about the detonation of two separate bombings. The producer decides to sends reporters into the field in Boston. Will McAvoy addresses the nation and continues to cover and investigate the suspicious events involved with the terrorist attack. As several days pass by, the nation beings to grow worrisome as the ACN addresses the false accusations against two men. On day four, one police officer at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) had been killed in a shootout. A car chase proceeded and one of the two bombing suspects had been shot and killed. The entire city of Boston turns towards a massive manhunt for the second suspect. The media keeps close attention to new leads regardless if the information is true or misleading. The ACN provides creditable sources regarding the events unfolding in the city. At the end of the episode, the cast discovers information regarding the second suspect. He was identified hiding in a covered boat in an individuals backyard. The Newsroom also becomes aware of a hostile take over of the company.

Social media platforms today have become a serious weapon of influence to terrorist organizations such as ISIS. ISIS material has been identified and viewed on Facebook, Twitter, Google and YouTube. These syndicates have a sophisticated network that targets advertisements that stand out and attract individuals surfing online. The terrorists calculate algorithms and in which to feed us content to keep users as long as possible on their platform. The more people that participate and pass through these applications, the more successful their message spreads. There needs to be clear legislation that protects and prosecutes offenders on social media platforms. Social media platforms are accessible globally and required strict guidelines to combat negative propaganda. I believe the United States and other members of the United Nations need to address these issues before it becomes out of hand. Disinformation is steadily flowing into our media platforms and festering in our society.

Published by: Samuel Erickson

Weekly News Article: The Washington Post discussed the correlation between social media and terrorism. These acts of terrorism are generated in hope to receive attention towards their cause. However, it also created something much more.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/03/16/why-social-media-terrorism-make-perfect-fit/