Life&living EDITORLUCAS JORNITZ | THURSDAY, NOV. 19,2020 | THE VOICE 2 The constant refreshing of feeds and election news dominated most students’ time during the U.S. elections earlier this month. courtesy PHOTO CLAY BANKS ON UNSPLASH Social media feeds rotten news Twitter, Instagram and Facebook often spread misinformation to youth = By TYSON BURROWS angara second-year busi- ness management student Kordan Do tries to avoid social media when it comes to the news. Social media websites like Twitter has begun marking claims of elec- tion fraud as disputed in an attempt to caution against the spread of disin- formation. Despite the concern, many students still turn to social media to inform themselves. “There are tons of misleading state- ments and misinformation [on social media],” said Do. “[It] drive[s] me crazy.” Paul Prosperi, a political science instructor at Langara College, encour- ages students to go beyond Twitter and Facebook feeds when looking for information regarding the news. “They’ re just using social media as a way of finding out about [...] the elec- tion and the counting,” Prosperi said. “I would encourage people to check out some of the news sites, dive a little deeper, beyond their social _ media feeds.” Prosperi highlighted news and analysis site Five Thir- makes news more easily accessi- ble but understands that it comes with problems. “On the whole, I know that I’m getting most of my news from the “I would encourage people to check out student Lindsay Stone feels as if social media narrows the scope of the infor- mation she receives. “T don’t even expose myself to what anyone on the polar end of scale reads,” Stone said. “I don’t even know what their point of view is.” Both Crowley and Stone tyEight asa “great resource” and alternative for “some fantastic analysis that is some of the news sites, dive a little said that they tend to trust the sources that they follow and that they are more likely to fact-check information being done in real time.” Langara second-year envi- ronmental studies student Emily Crowley has “been following the U.S. elec- LL tion pretty closely.” Despite trying to balance her sources of information, she finds that she still spends more time on social media than on news websites. Crowley thinks that social media SUBMITTED PHOTO — PAUL PROSPERI sources I want to follow,” Crowley said. “I tend to follow more liberal, left-wing people, so that’s the opin- ion of everything that I’m getting.” Similarly, Langara second-year library and information technology social media feeds.” POLITICAL SCIENCE INSTRUCTOR that doesn’t necessarily agree with their positions. But in the case of the 2020U.S. election, Crowley said she was surprised by the results. “T was like is this real? Is it actually going well? So even the news that was giving me what I wanted to hear, I was still not one hundred per cent trusting of it right away.” FAKE NEWS IN CANADA MAJORITY ARE WORRIED ...of Canadians have falsely believed fake news. 87% ...of Canadians are not confident in their ability to identify fake news. SOURCE: STATISTA.COM Virtual life can lead to p Esports players can face similar health concerns as traditional sport athletes = By CAROLINE EGAN laying video games for hours on P= can bea great form of enter- tainment during a pandemic, but sitting down for extended periods of time comes at a physical cost. The former president of SFU Esports Association, Derian Chow, has dealt with carpal tunnel, back and neck problems as a competitive player. “Carpal, I feel like, is the more important one, since some — people overlook the impor- tance of proper hand and wrist placement, as well as how long you're playing per session,” Chow said. Other things like appro- priate desk heights and adjustable monitors are beneficial as well. Staying physically active can help players rehabilitate 1 and provide stress relief, but taking preventative measures is the best way to help players perform and stay in good shape. Marc Rizzardo, a sports physiother- apist at Metrotown Physiotherapy Clinic and coach of Langara’s men’s soccer team, said he sees esports play- you're feeling better.” —MARC RIZZARDO SOCCER COACH SUBMITTED PHOTO ers come in for treatment all the time. “T see them in my office because of their posture and their back,” Rizzardo said. He said it’s important for people “If you're stressed out and you go for a run, all of a sudden, PHYSIOTHERAPIST AND LANGARA MENS ysical injuries to get up and move every day to help maintain their physical health. The most common types of issues are back- — telated injuries and carpal tunnel syndrome. Rizzardo said mental health is also important and emphasizes this with the athletes he works with. "I think the mental aspect is a huge component for us every year. I try and make sure I’m aware [of their mental health].” = Maung Maung Than, a third-year biology student at Langara and competitive esports player, said he likes to balance his life with video games and physical activity. “The main thing is sitting here for 14 hours, not moving my legs. Just posture and probably exercising would help,” Than said. Aside from competing in League of Legends, Than also participates in rock-climbing and ultimate Frisbee. He said being physical and getting outside helps his performance in League of Legends. With all the reasons to stay inside, gaming and other forms of indoor entertainment can prove to bea release. With that, however, it is important to remember to go out and get some exer- cise, especially in these stressful times. “If you're stressed out and you go fora run, all ofasudden, you're feeling better.” Rizzardo said. "I think most people get that especially the people that do it.”