It is not necessary to peruse through much of social media to see that much of the content in it is suspicious. From false news reports, dodgy medical advice and extreme ideas, social media is full of stories which pass as information but is later proved to be false
Examples of the Brexit vote, the 2020 Presidential elections in the United States and other events have shown the power of social media to change public opinion, often at a huge cost.
In fact, writer Katie Langin suggests that a “tweets containing falsehoods reach 1,500 people on Twitter [now X] six times faster than truthful tweets”. This was a research conducted in 2018 – the speed and number has increased considerably since.
What is termed fake news today includes a whole range of information from conspiracy theories of aliens and hidden powers controlling the world to photo shopped images that create a false picture, fake news is everywhere.
Nor is it easy to tell the difference. Often, the news is given in convincing and academic tone that passes off as reliable.
The dangers of fake news are too many to describe. Medically, wrong prescriptions or advise confuses people and can also give false hope. This was especially true during the days of the Covid-19 pandemic which saw all kinds of hack cures recommended on social media.
In education, fake news has created a group of people who are skeptical of science, choosing to fall back on old beliefs which have been disputed or rejected.
Ideologically, fake news is dividing people more than ever, with all parties armed with what they think is evidence.
It is not surprising that fake news travels fast because that is the nature of algorithms – eventually, a person’s screen will only show ideas and positions which they already have, making the relation between the reader and the screen an echo chamber – you are only listening to people like you.
The results of subscribing to fake news are not far to see. They create an alternate universe in which reality can run counter to the truth. This can isolate people, especially the young who believe that society does not share their concerns.
A study conducted in Canada revealed that 84 per cent of youth were not sure that they could distinguish true from false content on social media. That they accepted this is itself a first step.
Suggestions regarding how to spot fake news are many: check out the source and whether it is one individual or an organisation, do a Google Reverse Image search in cases of pictures to see their origin, browse to check how a story or a news item has been covered by other sites and by other people. The tone is also another give away: anything that suggests extreme emotions of joy, pain or anger are made to trigger.
Vigilance on social media is an ongoing exercise and youngsters must be continually trained to be aware of the content they consume.
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