What's real?

 My thoughts on the reality and non-reality of the digital world; reality is what is fact, truth or can be proven and non-reality is fake, false or staged.  We have all heard of "fake news" that is non-reality.  Credited authors and news reports are reality, although it can be turned into non-reality because it can get twisted and the real truth, lost in "translation".  I think that Instagram and any social media is a combination of reality and non-reality.  Someone posts what they want everyone to believe they are living a perfect life, but in reality just before they took that picture there was a fight or something bad happened.  Someone else may post everything that happens in their life for "clout" or just to have likes, but it is their life.  Some people live for the views and likes, others do not and then others that do a combination of the two.  The internet is like that but less noticeable sometimes.  Fake websites that grab your attention, in reality it is a computer virus.  You did not know that because you were wanting what grabbed your attention.  New York Times on the other hand has news reports, where you can get dependable news based on what you believe and what your interests are.  The problem with just looking at news that reflects your interests or beliefs is that you do not see the whole picture.  Dating apps.  The dreaded making your profile and picking who you like most.  Some people do not put a bio and just pictures.  Some put no pictures, but a large thought out bio.  Some do both.  Most people say yes to the picture and barely read the bio.  Dating apps are non-realistic because people put their best face out there with their best version of themselves.  You meet them over the internet, think their "avatar" and "script" and then you really get to know them and it is a cringe moment, a 'get me out of here' moment.  There are times where it does work out, you like the internet person and the real life person.  The internet has numerous combinations of realistic and non-realistic.

    The Future of Truth and Misinformation Online is an article that illustrates the digital age that has been created.  What information we can trust and what is misleading.  The Future of Truth and Misinformation Online article mentions Oxford's word of the year 'post-truth'.  "Post-truth is an adjective defined as ‘relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief’." (Oxford Dictionary).  People have their strong opinion on issues that the deem as important or unimportant, what ever is the most prominent view tends to have the most influence and following/support.  The facts that get provided to us is becoming less listened to and having less of an impact because people follow people.  People are influenced by trending hashtags and what is most popular because they want to be included.  People that do not follow the group are considered wrong/outcasts.   The Psychology of Online Comments is an article about the reality of what comments can to do any form of information or content.  Popular Science is a public website that helps explain science to the general public that want to know more.  In the article The Psychology of Online Comments states that even Popular Science wants to turn of comments from there articles.  People will put hate comments on the articles and that takes away from the information they are trying to share.  People are fake over the internet, hiding behind a screen, most people would not say or do the same thing they do online as in person.  A quarter of the people on the internet make anonymous comments.  No one knows who or what is really real on the internet.