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6 in 10 will share a link without reading it
Washinton Post ^ | 6-17-16 | Caitlin Dewey

Posted on 06/18/2016 4:30:46 AM PDT by Sir_Humphrey

On June 4, the satirical news site the Science Post published a block of “lorem ipsum” text under a frightening headline: “Study: 70% of Facebook users only read the headline of science stories before commenting.”

Nearly 46,000 people shared the post, some of them quite earnestly — an inadvertent example, perhaps, of life imitating comedy.

Now, as if it needed further proof, the satirical headline’s been validated once again: According to a new study by computer scientists at Columbia University and the French National Institute, 59 percent of links shared on social media have never actually been clicked: In other words, most people appear to retweet news without ever reading it

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: comments; socialmedia
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How many of us are guilty of this. Having been here for 18 years I see this more as the rule where as it used to be the exception.
1 posted on 06/18/2016 4:30:47 AM PDT by Sir_Humphrey
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To: Sir_Humphrey

I don’t share sausages with my friends, and I don’t even understand the concept of reading a sausage. This thread makes no sense.


2 posted on 06/18/2016 4:32:26 AM PDT by ClearCase_guy (Nation States seem to be ending. The follow-on should not be Globalism, but Localism.)
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To: Sir_Humphrey

I couldn’t read it. Wapo is a pay site!


3 posted on 06/18/2016 4:34:28 AM PDT by mainevet (Get an M1911 or two or three or four)
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To: ClearCase_guy
LOL

That comment was the wurst!

4 posted on 06/18/2016 4:34:31 AM PDT by Sir_Humphrey (Strong minds discuss ideas., average minds discuss events, weak minds discuss people -Socrates)
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To: mainevet

I clicked on it no problem I sure as hell won’t pay for the Washington Post. Or NYT for that matter.


5 posted on 06/18/2016 4:36:15 AM PDT by Sir_Humphrey (Strong minds discuss ideas., average minds discuss events, weak minds discuss people -Socrates)
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To: Sir_Humphrey

Who knows? Maybe this one was shared for humor’s sake.


6 posted on 06/18/2016 4:36:42 AM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
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To: Sir_Humphrey

Hot dog.


7 posted on 06/18/2016 4:37:14 AM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
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To: Sir_Humphrey

On Twitter some people retweet nearly everything as well as Favorite everything they Follow.


8 posted on 06/18/2016 4:40:12 AM PDT by SMGFan (Sarah Michelle Gellar is now on twitter @SarahMGellar)
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To: Sir_Humphrey

it tells me i’ve read my limit of free articles for the month.


9 posted on 06/18/2016 4:41:27 AM PDT by mainevet (Get an M1911 or two or three or four... no eight!)
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To: HiTech RedNeck
Maybe but there is some truth to it. I see it on all social media (by no means just here) that people see: a headline

I. don't read the article

ii. post some gut reaction related to something mentioned in the headline

iii make a snarky off topic post about the publication or author

iv. retreat to their safe space.

This study validates that.

10 posted on 06/18/2016 4:41:59 AM PDT by Sir_Humphrey (Strong minds discuss ideas., average minds discuss events, weak minds discuss people -Socrates)
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To: Sir_Humphrey

Years ago I used to read the articles but now my Safari browser crashes on anything but Free Republic which has been an improvement in performance, from my perspective. So, no, I don’t read those anymore. 20 years of observing the libtards has given me almost Rush like cognitive powers. I don’t need to “see what the other side thinks” anymore. Like most of us, we are all to familiar with studying the knee jerk irrational, very few neurons involved reaction libtards have to just about any circumstance. Easier to predict than the weather.


11 posted on 06/18/2016 4:42:08 AM PDT by wastoute (Government cannot redistribute wealth. Government can only redistribute poverty.)
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To: Sir_Humphrey

Then the best way to get your message out is in the headline. The Left has been doing this for years. Make your headlines count!


12 posted on 06/18/2016 4:42:33 AM PDT by Alas Babylon! (Fully accept and CELEBRATE gayness, or you are a homosexual mass murderer supporter.)
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To: wastoute

You mean you let Rush read and interpret the articles for you? A very dangerous thing to do. I prefer to read on my own and draw my own conclusions.


13 posted on 06/18/2016 4:49:37 AM PDT by Sir_Humphrey (Strong minds discuss ideas., average minds discuss events, weak minds discuss people -Socrates)
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To: Alas Babylon!

And those headlines are often misleading which is why it pays to read the article.


14 posted on 06/18/2016 4:50:35 AM PDT by Sir_Humphrey (Strong minds discuss ideas., average minds discuss events, weak minds discuss people -Socrates)
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To: Sir_Humphrey

No, like Rush, I no longer need to read or hear what is about to come from the tortured mind of a libtard. I know before it is actually produced. As a FReeper, you are probably pretty good, yourself.


15 posted on 06/18/2016 4:52:57 AM PDT by wastoute (Government cannot redistribute wealth. Government can only redistribute poverty.)
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To: Sir_Humphrey

Birds of a feather, etc.


16 posted on 06/18/2016 4:53:20 AM PDT by P.O.E. (Pray for America)
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To: Sir_Humphrey

Although I haven’t made an in-depth study, I have noticed that writers increasingly write lengthy articles regurgitating someone else’s research, instead of doing research of their own. Sometimes they don’t even bother to provide the link to the original research that they are busily commenting upon. This also goes for regular news stories. How many times have we been directed to someone’s blog headline, only to find out that they are reporting about a news story originating from a newspaper, TV report, etc. Most of the time, the blog offers no original insights or comments of their own just regurgitates the original article.


17 posted on 06/18/2016 4:55:17 AM PDT by euram
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To: wastoute
I must respectively disagree

I never, ever stop reading up on the issues or what the opposition says. Reading The NYT or watching MSNBC certainly hasn't turned me into a liberal or I would have left the site years ago. To the contrary, they reinforce my conservatism as I can see through their illogic.

But what I can't believe is that I am actually having a conversation about whether actually reading the news is a good thing or not. I agree that all news comes from one bias or another but it takes critical thinking to arrive at the truth. I can never engage in such thinking if I have a closed mind and only post gut reaction talking points.

18 posted on 06/18/2016 5:01:21 AM PDT by Sir_Humphrey (Strong minds discuss ideas., average minds discuss events, weak minds discuss people -Socrates)
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To: Alas Babylon!

Yup. We see a lot of stupid and misleading headlines. There is a reason for that. The headline is the message.


19 posted on 06/18/2016 5:05:48 AM PDT by ClearCase_guy (Nation States seem to be ending. The follow-on should not be Globalism, but Localism.)
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To: Sir_Humphrey

A better question:

How many Freepers comment on an article that they haven’t read and don’t intend to read?

My estimate: 90%.
And that includes me and this article.


20 posted on 06/18/2016 5:06:48 AM PDT by InterceptPoint (Still a Cruz Fan but voting for Trump)
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