The Click of a Button

Ethan Sands
es700016@ohio.edu

There are so many things on the World Wide Web, nowadays. Whether it be advertisements, news articles, videos, sports pages, etc. There's one thing that keeps these different sources of information together, a click.

Clicks

A click is when someone voluntarily chooses to view something on their device. Most of the time there is clickbait that provides the viewer a reason for them to look further. People are now getting paid for the number of clicks that they can get. The Washington Post gives an example of two workers who went from creating alt-right Facebook pages to then, "in 2015 Wade and Goldman started doing stories and getting paid based on how many clicks they got."

This proves the point that there is money to be made everywhere in the journalism industry, even as something as simple as a click of a button. Because there is money to be made, there are always people who will attempt to abuse the privilege. These people are trollers. Social media has been a huge component for online content, engagements or activity with posts is what the Columbia Journalism Review is saying is the up and coming buzzword. The engagements are based on the headlines that viewers see, and the headlines don't have to necessarily be eye-opening. Some headlines are purposefully aggravating so that viewers will want to hear the stupidity or ideas behind the headline. This is because the number of clicks doesn't matter how long the viewer is on the page. Let this not mislead future viewers, there are still true journalists who care about the content of their pieces.

Video

Everybody knows about the implementation of body cameras for cops to potentially lower the amount of deaths by police officers. This has been useful, but the instances where the body cameras have been turned off or broken have become prominent. There has been a new influential way that people are saving lives, sometimes not even their own. Video and Live streams. By recording the interactions and encounters with law enforcements, there has been disengages and an increase of proof against cops that would have previously been let off with no charges or a warning for their actions without these videos.

The Washington Post were able to talk to the fiancé of Philando Castile who was killed in a routine traffic stop in 2016. She live streamed the altercation and was able to go viral with her video, so that she could show the world the truth of encounters for African Americans with the police. The Washington Post stated that, "Live-streaming technology, its advocates argue has given incredible power to victims of systematic violence, both online and offline." The accessibility of these videos is also linked to a click of a button because you have to choose to watch the live stream or watch the video after the event had occurred. There is more just police brutality covered on live streams, but this has been a huge asset to those caught in these situations.

The World is at our fingertips. We cannot be led astray by the information that could be falsified or attempts to get a reaction out of us. Yet, there is undeniable visual evidence that can help spread the word of reality and truth among this world of frauds.