LOS ANGELES (KNX) – Social media can be bless and a curse when mass shootings occur, especially when it comes to sharing information. While factual information can get out quick, so can fabricated information.
Jessica Ghilani, a media studies professor at the University of Pittsburgh, Greensburg and a researcher at the Pitt Disinformation Lab, told KNX News In Depth the rise of social media has changed our patience and attention span for news.
“We expect to get breaking news at a breakneck pace, and when we turn to social media for information that’s not necessarily verified and vetted,” she said. “The police tend to make sure they get the information correct before they brief the press and we sometimes don’t have the patience we used to have.”
Ghilani said that while she believes the desire to know the suspect and motivations behind isn’t new, “our ability to chat about it without verified information and to seem as though these people who have a platform of influence seem to know more than we do is a new thing.”
Listen to Ghilani's full interview in the audio above.
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