Evaluating Social-Media Messages

Social-media messages are typically fast paced and short. We digest one and move quickly on to the next. Sometimes, though, we need to slow down and think critically about the messages we produce and consume. After all, our social-media interactions reflect how we perceive others and affect how others perceive us.

Just as with traditional media forms (see page 246), you can use the communication situation to evaluate social-media messages. Review the evaluation checklist below.

Social Media Evaluation Checklist

• Sender:Who created the message?

  Discussion: What is your relationship with the source? You may perceive a message from a friend differently than you would one from your boss. Also consider the source’s authority. A biologist talking about an invasive species has more authority than an accountant speaking on the same subject.

• Message:What does the message say (subject, main point, support)?

  Discussion: Identify the main point and any supporting material. Is the main point supported by facts or by opinions? Follow links provided in the message to examine their information as well. Also analyze the message for fairness, logic, and accuracy. (See pages 240–251.)

• Medium:What type of media is used to deliver the message?

  Discussion: Think about the medium’s strengths and weaknesses. A microblog, for example, is quick and efficient but lacks depth. You wouldn’t use a microblog service to send an important message. (See the graphic on the next page.)

• Receiver:Who is the target of the message?

  Discussion: Social-media messages often spread far beyond their original intended audience. (Every Twitter message you write is even archived in the U.S. Library of Congress, for future generations to study!) Think about the various types of people your message may end up reaching. How might people of a different age group, culture, or nationality react to it? What responsibility might you have to those people? (See page 249.)

• Context:What is the purpose of the message?

  Discussion: The purpose of a message may be to share, to inform, to interact, to persuade (market), or a combination of all four. (See page 250.) Are you using the best medium to achieve your message’s purpose?