At a time when misinformation is circulating rampantly on the internet, one media expert is recommending people rely on trusted news sources.
Ramona Pringle, an expert in social media and digital culture at Ryerson University, said it's important to rely on accredited media sources and ditch social media sources so everyone is reading from the same hymn sheet.
“The reality right now is that every single individual behaviour affects every other person.”
Pringle said one of the latest developments with COVID-19 is that many younger people may show no symptoms but still be carriers.
“And so we need good information because we need to know things like that. If you're not getting that kind of information then you may not change your behaviour, which means we may not curb the spread of this.”
Pringle said there are always people who will want to profit off a disaster. There are currently people trying to sell vitamins, different diets or a COVID-19 solution as alternatives to social distancing and all of the other scientifically vetted strategies to help mitigate the virus.
“That's where the media is so important. It’s having one central place where people know they are getting good information that they can trust.”
“You want that one same place that we're playing from, or reacting from being reliable information, because if it's not reliable information, it's either going to do us harm or, best case scenario, it won't do us any good.”
Pringle said social media can be a hotbed for misinformation because people generally tend to share information that is either shocking or makes them feel emotional. With COVID-19, for example, memes full of misinformation have circulated.
“That's where sensational content, scaremongering content is also going to travel really, really quickly.”
Pringle said governments need to be using the media as a resource to get their message out too.
“Everyone has got to be saying the same thing. The message has got to be united, There's got to be trust,” Pringle said.
“We want the media and the government and the organizations that we depend on to be saying the same thing, we want the message to be united, you don't want there to be fissures that cause people more anxiety.”
The media expert said residents might become anxious or stressed if they are constantly consuming news and social media posts about COVID-19. Pringle suggests finding one or two trusted news sources and check in with them a few times a day, but to overall take breaks from consuming information so it doesn’t take a toll on readers’ mental health.
City efforts
In St. Albert, the city announced late Sunday night that they have decided to work with the Community of St. Albert Facebook page after they “graciously offered” to support the city to provide “essential information” on the city’s response to COVID-19. The city is also using billboards belonging to the St. Albert and District Chamber of Commerce, and is updating its website regularly, as well as issuing media releases on at least a daily basis.
City spokesperson Cory Sinclair said they would gladly accept any assistance from a community organization seeking to share information from their website or social media posts with their followers.
“All we have done is provide (The Community of St. Albert Facebook Page) with the images and text we are using for our social media posts and the day we plan to post it, so they can watch for our posts and share them in a timely fashion. Again, we look forward to any partnership that you are able to provide in helping us reach a broader community audience,” Sinclair said in an email to the Gazette.
The Community of St. Albert Facebook Page is run by several people, including Mayor Cathy Heron’s boyfriend, John Carle.Heron said she and Carle keep her work and his community page separate.
“John and I keep my job and his volunteer page, which is not a revenue generator for him at all – it's just a community good and completely volunteer time – we keep it completely separate,” Heron said.
“The only thing that The Community of St. Albert Facebook page posts ... is things that are public. Anyone on Facebook can share The City of St. Albert page,” Heron said.
The city added that the St. Albert and District Chamber of Commerce has also offered to share city messaging on the high-profile electronic billboards at the entrances to St. Albert.
Sinclair declined to provide an interview for the Gazette on this matter because they are “busy preventing the spread of COVID-19 and focusing on providing essential services to residents.”
