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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To wonder if people do get their information or news from mumsnet

26 replies

Duggeehugs82 · 09/02/2021 11:37

Ive watched the social dilemma on Netflix and it talks about getting information from social media, and its got me thinking about how i get my information about things during my day and i do spend a lot of time on mumsnet particularly more during the lockdowns, and im wondering even subtly how this impacts my thinking and others. Like with covid and anyone can say they are doctors nurses etc or anything relating to the vaccine, is it common knowledge that we shouldnt just belive on here because someone says they have authority on it. And where do we draw the line.
but also with other world issues like the American elections i read that long thread for last few years with links to twitter and twitter is one of companies mentioned on the Netflix documentary, its just a mindfield of how we think and how we r influenced

OP posts:

DynamoKev · 09/02/2021 11:46

What is AIBU here?
What's a "Mindfield"

AubergineDream · 09/02/2021 11:48

Sometimes it points me in the direction of news or other media I wouldn't necessarily have found myself. It helps sign post me, especially the feminism board

LizBennet · 09/02/2021 11:49

Like any information/news I get, I check other sources to make sure it's true. I don't take any news I read as gospel.

Nunoftheother · 09/02/2021 11:50

I might follow up a link or reference and find out something I hadn't previously been aware of, but I wouldn't take an ordinary, probably subjective, post as gospel, no.

Nunoftheother · 09/02/2021 11:52

@LizBennet

Like any information/news I get, I check other sources to make sure it's true. I don't take any news I read as gospel.

So you would sit down with the paper over breakfast and be checking and cross-referencing every single article? Sorry, but I don't believe that.

LizBennet · 09/02/2021 11:57

So you would sit down with the paper over breakfast and be checking and cross-referencing every single article? Sorry, but I don't believe that.

Eh? Where did I say I check every single article?

If I read something on here or other social media I verify it myself through other sources.

Dontknowmuchabouthistory · 09/02/2021 11:58

I don't get my news on here, thankfully, as there is so much misinformation. It's like the laws and rules on Covid. I prefer to get the proper version from the Govt website, not the often misinterpreted stuff by other posters.

I do like it when I see certain posters names linking scientific articles and do tend to read them so that I can make better-informed judgements.

Original poster

Duggeehugs82 · 09/02/2021 12:00

My AIBU is wonder if some people get their news from mumsnet and how do they know if its telling them the truth as its an anonymous forum and anyone can say anything and its not verified

OP posts:

Confusedandshaken · 09/02/2021 12:01

I often find out that there is news on here, so might see a thread title that alerts me.Then I check reputable sources (BBC and the Times mostly) to try and ascertain the truth.

Original poster

Duggeehugs82 · 09/02/2021 12:01

AIBU to think that there is some people on here who get their news from mumsnet
And if they do, r they concerned on the reliability of it

OP posts:

Lonelycrab · 09/02/2021 12:16

Plenty of people posting links to news items on here but I don’t see that as “getting your news from MN”
The news is coming from the DM, Graun, BBC etc etc. It’s not being generated here, merely circulated.

BarbaraofSeville · 09/02/2021 12:24

I've seen people talking about getting their news from social media and forums, but no-one actually does that, do they?

It's pretty obvious that anyone can write anything they like on here and a good amount of it is complete rubbish and unless something is published on a reputable news site like the BBC, Times or Guardian, or gov.uk itself if we're talking about corona rules, then it's completely worthless as 'News'.

DynamoKev · 09/02/2021 12:50

@Duggeehugs82

AIBU to think that there is some people on here who get their news from mumsnet And if they do, r they concerned on the reliability of it

YABU No sane person would get news from here.

TrialOfStyle · 09/02/2021 12:52

I don't watch the news on TV or read papers, so technically I get headlines from places like this. However I tend to them go on an google them afterwards.

I get a lot of news when I'm working though as my homepage is one of those top headlines pages.

picklemewalnuts · 09/02/2021 13:59

Mumsnet makes me aware of news stories, and often gives a lot of corollary information.

I tend to be aware whether the story is in multiple reputable sources 'in the wild'. If not, I research it a bit to find out why.

myvaccineisnotsurplus · 09/02/2021 14:10

Some stories are definitely leaked through Mumsnet. Some threads are definitely sounding-board threads for government policy, I guess through freelancers.

I clearly remember a poster mentioning asking where Cummings was on a thread during first lockdown when he was supposed to be self-isolating with Covid - in retrospect that poster clearly knew Cummings had left home and travelled across the country, and I expect relatively few people knew that fact at the actual time it took place.

WhatWouldPhyllisCraneDo · 09/02/2021 14:15

@DynamoKev

What is AIBU here? What's a "Mindfield"

I've got an image of a field full of brains being grown. Not sure how i feel about that.

Sometimes I read something on here and then search for an actual report, or read the link if there is one. I wouldn't automatically assume something posted is true though. Like others have said look at how many made up covid rules get posted on here!

Sleepthief · 09/02/2021 14:59

I think the point The Social Dilemma makes is that even though you may be getting your news on social media from reputable sources such as the BBC or broadsheet newspapers you follow, the Facebook etc algorithms curate that news uniquely for you, so only showing you articles they think will interest you or that are connected to similar stories you've read, thus creating your very own bubble of confirmation bias.

Sleepthief · 09/02/2021 15:04

Sorry, following on from my previous post... Rather than suggesting that we all read Rando on t'internet claiming whatever they like and believe it to be true (although clearly there are people who do believe Old Rando), it's also quite frightening that those of us who believe we are more discerning are being told what to think just as much!

picklemewalnuts · 09/02/2021 15:22

That's true, Sleep- rather like we all think we're immune to marketing.

Mumsnet has brought things to my attention that my news feed did not, as have friends on FB- I have quite a diverse friendship group (although it leans Labour- cue lots of shock at elections!).

I also check the paper when I read a news article. I know where it's been brought to me from. I get quite a mix. A friend reads Al Jazeera for similar reasons.

BiBabbles · 09/02/2021 15:39

Something, though like other it's alongside other sources of information - like I followed the development of what's going on with IGCSEs here and found out a few things, but then went and looked on the board's website after someone said there had been an update.

I find information here is about as accurate as on a Netflix documentary.

lazylinguist · 09/02/2021 15:59

I don't get my news from MN, but I'm on here a lot and of course it influences me. Imo anyone who spends even a moderate amount of time on websites, forums, social media etc and thinks they aren't influenced by it is very naïve.

LApprentiSorcier · 09/02/2021 16:05

I'll read news articles on several different news sites to 'get to the bottom of it'. Only if I'm particularly interested in it, obviously - I don't cross reference everything. I'm not on Facebook so no articles are presented to me as such. Sometimes I will see something on MN and follow it up.

NovemberR · 09/02/2021 16:18

The only news I get on here is when you occasionally see a thread saying So sad Ancient Celebrity has died or similar and you vaguely think oh have they? And google it.

I only pay attention to basic facts like that. The rest of it is mostly randomers opinions and I pay little interest. I've read far too much bollocks on here of people posting I'm a lawyer and then giving utterly incorrect legal advice, or I'm a nurse and then coming out with stuff that you are perfectly aware is not correct.

People on here make up professions to try and give themselves authority, but much of it is clearly ridiculous.

Original poster

Duggeehugs82 · 09/02/2021 17:25

@lazylinguist

I think this is a really good point, like i would say i dont get it from mn but then i do get influenced on what to look at from here, i guess the difference between that and what fb do is , its people on here and not ads, but then we dont know how truthful people r on here. Ive also wondered if mn has tolls in same way as twitter for example like purposely speading misinformation and disinformation and not just trying to wind or upset people

OP posts:

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