by Claire Wardle
Too often, we share posts on social media without thinking. We’re standing in line at a coffee shop or scrolling mindlessly during our morning commute. The minute we see something that resonates – it might make us laugh, angry or even smug – we click on the ‘share’ or retweet button, and carry on scrolling. It’s often a split second decision. It feels like it carries little weight. But those split second decisions can have repercussions.
When smartphones first appeared, we seized the opportunity to have these amazing gadgets in our pockets. We could interact with friends in real-time, play games, read the news and scroll through fun, engaging content. What we didn’t realize, as a society, was that these little gadgets required a new level of responsibility. Overnight, everyone had become a publisher.