The Power of Social Media in Spreading Fake News

Social media holds incredible power by connecting people all over the world, sparking movements, and forming their opinions. However, this control also comes with a ton of downsides, mainly the rapid spread of false information. Furthermore, fake news growing alongside the very platforms that allow us to communicate freely. As the boundaries between traditional journalism and citizen reporting majorly blur, social media is becoming the wrestling ring for truth. This article takes a look at how social media influences the spread of fake news, the role of growing citizen journalists, and what we can do to curb its effects.

Social Media in the Mix of Misinformation

Social media platforms are constructed in a way to promote interaction between people. For example, headlines on catchy posts stir up people’s emotional sense and urge them to comment and share these posts. While there’s no harm in connecting with others online, it turns into a breeding ground for suspicious-sounding news, which is very disruptive when it comes to politics, public safety, and health.

The Platform Culprits

The largest culprits playing in the field of fake news are Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. These few social media platforms let anyone connected to the internet post content while using algorithms to push for more engagement on them. In addition, content that gets the most attention receives emotional reactions, whether it be positive or negative feedback, will always be prioritized in the algorithm over well-researched and factual content.

Algorithm Designs

As mentioned before, the design of algorithms in social media always makes sure that content with the highest engagement rates receives the most attention. Therefore, with attention being the currency, fake news is like an infestation that keeps breeding. However, there are ways to catch fake news, by which an AI detector free of charge can help. These tools scan text to flag what is robotic and what remainder of that text is human, if any. It prevents propagandists from coming up with the most ridiculous topics to frighten people.

Growing Citizen Journalists

Another growing pain in social media is the citizen journalists leaving their digital footprint everywhere. Twitter and Instagram provide common citizens with a liberal opportunity to report the news to others in real-time, which regular media outlets can’t always get to. However, having citizens in charge of sharing news comes with a downside too. For instance, these people are not trained to do thorough fact-checking to make sure that what they are publishing is true to its core. Moreover, an unverified account user’s content can easily get mixed in with the real media.

Echo Chambers

An echo chamber is almost a filter bubble that shows people content they’ve recently interacted with, so they’ll find relevant posts on their For You pages. This then results in people only seeing information that aligns with their beliefs, which blocks out controversial content that should be shared. Furthermore, misinformation will start to grow and is often amplified across other newsfeeds. Moreover, this course of action will then create a feedback loop where the same false accusations and narratives are brought up, causing a bigger divide throughout society.

Dealing with Propaganda

Propaganda is another problem that society is forced to deal with because some media companies and citizen journalists only share half of the truth they want the public to see. Therefore, social media platforms should start implementing better user policies and improve their algorithms to have clearer fact-checking systems. Furthermore, governments can step in to develop a framework holding social media companies accountable when false truths are publicly distributed. However, they need to be careful to align with the human right of freedom of speech.

Conclusion

While the original role of social media was meant to bring everyone in the world together, its use in spreading fake news also springs worry. This is because the same algorithms that result in the most engagement also have a tendency to spark emotional reactions rather than reporting factual and necessary information. Luckily, we can implement a few good strategies to keep it on a down low. From using AI detectors to blocking out echo chambers, it’s easier to fight against the breeding of misinformation and make sure the truth is still put on a pedestal on social media.