{"id":386844,"date":"2017-12-27T09:46:14","date_gmt":"2017-12-27T09:46:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=386844"},"modified":"2017-12-27T09:46:14","modified_gmt":"2017-12-27T09:46:14","slug":"obama-warns-irresponsible-social-media-use","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2017\/12\/obama-warns-irresponsible-social-media-use\/","title":{"rendered":"Obama warns against ‘irresponsible’ social media use"},"content":{"rendered":"
Former US President Barack Obama has warned against the irresponsible use of social media, in a rare interview since stepping down in January.<\/p>\n
He warned that such actions were distorting people’s understanding of complex issues, and spreading misinformation.<\/p>\n
His successor Donald Trump is a prolific user of Twitter, but Mr Obama did not mention him by name.<\/p>\n
Mr Obama was quizzed by Prince Harry on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.<\/p>\n
Prince Harry, fifth in line to the throne, is one of several prominent figures who are guest-editing the programme\u00a0over the Christmas period.<\/p>\n
The ex-president said those in positions of power should be careful when posting messages, warning that social media is distorting civil discourse.<\/p>\n
He expressed concern about a future where facts are discarded and people only read and listen to things that reinforce their own views.<\/p>\n
“One of the dangers of the internet is that people can have entirely different realities. They can be cocooned in information that reinforces their current biases.<\/p>\n
“The question has to do with how do we harness this technology in a way that allows a multiplicity of voices, allows a diversity of views, but doesn’t lead to a Balkanisation of society and allows ways of finding common ground,” he said.<\/p>\n
Mr Trump has been accused of overusing Twitter, though he maintains it allows him to connect directly with the American people.<\/p>\n