Social media and free knowledge: Case study - public opinion formation

Abstract

Mass media (e.g., TV) and social media (e.g., Facebook) have a large utilization nowadays; they are becoming an integral part of our life. This chapter describes the psychological effects of media bias and manipulation, along its impact on public opinion by using "agenda setting" and "prototypes/framing". It shows how media can artificially create feelings and emotions. It will also explore the relationships between free knowledge and media. Free knowledge has a strong potential to prevent media manipulation, and for people emancipation from media control. The paper suggests using media in a more humanistic way, as a space to create knowledge, where social interaction influences knowledge. We talk of communities where people regularly share and create knowledge. The media do not replace existing processes of building knowledge; rather they provide an additional dynamic environment, which must meet certain criteria for what the social knowledge will be emancipator, and not manipulative. 2015 by IGI Global. All rights reserved.