To think this is interesting timing .....

[MistressoftheDarkSide]

Scrolling through Facebook and came across a live feed from the Independent focusing on the issues surrounding Covid, China, travel restrictions etc. Fair enough - it's newsworthy for travelers etc.....

However their tag line on the post was querying whether this situation will potentially lead to lockdown in the UK this year.

I commented that I thought this was irresponsible as as far as I'm aware this won't occur again, and also it occurred to me that given the NHS strikes etc, this could be used as leverage and to turn the public against the industrial action.

I'm so fucked off with the way the media drives fear and is also used to gauge and manipulate people.

No, I can't avoid social media as I run a business and use it for marketing. And I keep a weather eye on the news to avoid nasty surprises, before anyone advocates stepping away for my mental health.

Anyway, just needed to get that off my chest......

I'm so fucked off with the way the media drives fear and is also used to gauge and manipulate people.

Yes but it's the same as it ever was, just different forms of media.

Pot, meet kettle?

You’re doing the same thing by posting about it here. Frankly, you were doing the same thing by commenting on it to increase its social media reach.

@Chickenly

Whatevs 🙄

Frankly it’s boring. They can announce what they like but I won’t be locked down again.

Chickenly is right though. Commenting on the original article increased its metrics, so it is more likely to be promoted. Posting about it here has increased its profile, discussion and reach. By engaging you're increasing. Ignore it is the best policy.

Last time I looked the Independent was pay to read. They need to have a hook to get people to read it so they put click baity headlines on FB.

No one is gonna pay if the headline says we'll just muddle through.

I'm so fucked off with the way the media drives fear and is also used to gauge and manipulate people.

Me too, I haven't trusted it for quite a while.

I'm so fucked off with the way the media drives fear and is also used to gauge and manipulate people

It's funny, I've seen and heard a lot of people complaining about "the media" driving fear, scaremongering, manipulating people....but when asked, the person saying it is not afraid, or scared and professes to be unmanipulated. So who do they think "the media" is scaring so much?

In reality, what these people are usually dismissing as fearmongering is just accurate reporting with a bit of opinion mixed in, like "the media" has always done since it began.