Glut of real, fake news necessitates discernment

TMI — Too much information.

Everywhere you turn it’s information overload.

There are countless “news sources” for liberals, conservatives and everyone in between. You can find outlets that cater to your ideals and beliefs or mindless entertainment news to occupy your time.

If you want to read trashy tabloids or consume real news about what’s happening around the country and the globe, there are seemingly infinite options. (I fully admit to reading celebrity gossip and am not proud of it.)

Then there’s Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat — social media platforms where an increasing number of people are seeking to capture greater audiences.

“Kardashian reality show turns 10! Chicken and waffles for breakfast! Hamster eating a carrot! Trump’s latest tweet!”

But is someone’s breakfast or latest political epiphany really worth your attention? You have to weed through so much nonsense before finding that one valuable piece of information, if indeed there is one.

There are highly opinionated “citizen journalists,” writers of “fake news” and reporters who actually spent years in training to ensure fairness and accuracy when disseminating information to the public. I wonder if people know the difference or if they even care.

Before the digital world, life was a bit simpler. Choices were more manageable: newspapers, magazines, TV and radio.

Citizen journalism wasn’t even a concept. With the advent of the internet, more people are playing an active role in collecting, examining and reporting the news. But at what cost? Much of the information is no longer “unbiased” or without an agenda.

My 10-year-old daughter is heavily into DIY videos. She is glued to her iPad watching teenybopper bloggers decorate their rooms, share the latest crafting techniques and show the world a glimpse of their daily lives.

Too much unfiltered information can only muddle the mind and lead to stress and mental exhaustion. Life is already complicated and confusing enough.

We must carefully discern between real and fake, good and bad, truth and untruth. It’s not easy.

For children growing up in this generation, it’s even harder to sort through the excess of information. Some even think they can find the answers to life’s problems on the web.

YouTube is my daughter’s source of news and information.

“I watch ‘Life Hacks’ and DIY videos that help you go through life,” she said. “You can put coffee grinds in warm water and put it on your face and you won’t be tired!”

Perhaps it’s time to start paring down our news sources. TMI.

“She Speaks” is a weekly column by women writers of the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Reach Kristen Consillio at kconsillio@staradvertiser.com.