To curate my social media with a critical public audience, I would be selective about the groups that I am following on social media; I would find out whether we share similar core values and vision. Thus, minimising the occurrences of having to deal with contradicting opinions. I access information on the PLN with a critical eye. I check the sources of information that are shared to ensure that they are reliable. Hirst highlights that “the problem of fake news is one all of us are going to have to face, whether we are consumers, professional journalists or working in the social journalism space” (Hirst, p.99). Fake news have a stake in trying to catch our attention but we have to try our best to critically analyse the information to the best of our ability.

There are some benefits for public figures to engage with a public audience in a media space. If you take the example of a government official, they can engage with more members of the public through social media; showing that they care about public opinion. They can also clarify certain misconceptions. However, the risks is that they can get harassed by people who disagree with them or get trolled. If the government official takes the comments at heart, these experiences could have a negative impact on their professional or personal life.

It can be hard to receive negative replies and reviews, which reflect one’s personal values. However, it is important to take a step back from the situation; one should avoid getting defensive because this can escalate the disagreement which could potentially lead to nasty arguments. Furthermore, we should be respectful of the reviews and replies; we have to realise and appreciate that people are allowed to give their opinions, although it could sometimes be hard or hurtful to accept it. We have to realise that if we chose to share something on social media, we could be subject to these kind of risks.

There are often many restrictions when using certain online tools in the professional setting. Employers set up these limitations to safeguard everyone in the workplace or associated with the workplace. For example, they need to protect data for confidentiality.

Hirst , Martin. Navigating Social Journalism: A Handbook for Media Literacy and Citizen Journalism. -1st ed., Routledge, 2018.