Read: Apply Guiding Questions to a Social Media Post
Applying our Guiding Questions
Let's recap the guiding questions we learned earlier:
- Who is the intended audience?
- Do the authors have authority? Why or why not?
- Is the publisher trustworthy?
- Does the author use citations? Do they tell you where they got their information?
Now that we've investigated the source Links to an external site., let's consider our guiding questions.
Who is the intended audience?
One way to determine who @noodle.phd's intended audience might be is to look at the hashtags used on her Instagram post:
#foodscience #msg #noaddedmsg #chinesefood #veganchinesefood #chinesecooking #ajinomoto #monosodiumglutamate #foodmyths #smartfood #naturalfood #noceboeffect #foodhistory #molecules #chemistry #foodchemistry #ilovemsg #neuroscience #glutamate #veganrecipe #mythbusters
Since Instagram users might find this post through hashtags they are interested in, it's reasonable to assume that the intended audience is reflected through the hashtags. In this case, we see mostly food-related hashtags, telling us that the audience is likely social media users interested in food posts. Although we now know that @noodle.phd, aka Christine Liu, is a scientist and PhD student, there's no reason to assume that this post is intended only for an academic or scientific crowd.
Do the authors have authority? Why or why not?
After our deep investigation, it turns out that the author of this post does write from a place of authority and credibility. While she is still a PhD student and not yet a tenured professor, she has participated in research studies and has presented and published her work in academic journals. However, she is not a demonstrated expert on MSG, as far as we can tell. So, while she has some clear expertise around science and brain function, she is not at this time the most authoritative voice on this subject.
Is the publisher trustworthy?
In this case, we don't have a clear publisher, other than the social media platform Instagram and the original poster, Christine Liu (@noodle.phd).
Does the author use citations? Do they tell you where they got their information?
Actually...no! The author doesn't use any citations, and doesn't explain where they got their information. It seems like a great argument, and the author is credible, but without citations and references, it's hard to know if the information shared was trustworthy.
Final assessment
Social media posts can be tricky to evaluate. Credibility can vary widely, there isn't often a publisher to review, social media content creators can be untrustworthy, and citations are rarely shared. Social media posts can be a great place to start, especially to spark ideas for a research paper. Not all social media sources are bad or “fake news”. Consider the author, the message, and citations. Use a social media post as an example of how your topic is being discussed online, but not as the sole citation for an argument.
You've now successfully learned how to evaluate social media posts! Click next to learn about evaluating another type of source.