{"id":648,"date":"2020-01-29T16:36:11","date_gmt":"2020-01-29T13:36:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogit.utu.fi\/trage\/?p=648"},"modified":"2022-10-13T16:10:48","modified_gmt":"2022-10-13T13:10:48","slug":"the-role-of-social-media-in-spreading-false-information","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogit.utu.fi\/trage\/2020\/01\/29\/the-role-of-social-media-in-spreading-false-information\/","title":{"rendered":"The Role of Social Media in Spreading False Information"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Fredrika Lahdenranta<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This blog post was produced as part of the course \u201cSocial Media, Ideologies, and Ethics in the United States\u201d at the University of Turku.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The era of alternate realities and widespread distrust in media sources has largely become defined by President Donald Trump. The line between truth and falsity has become increasingly blurry, which is highlighted by the subjective reality constructed by the U.S President.[i]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the era of unlimited information, it is more and more difficult to discern what is actually true, partly due to social media\u2019s role as a news source.[ii]<\/sup><\/a>[iii]<\/sup><\/a> The term \u201cfake news\u201d[iv]<\/sup><\/a> is a powerful tool that mainly Trump and other right wing politicians[v]<\/sup><\/a> use for discrediting reliable news sources as biased. This relates to the idea of alternate realities, as it underlines the disappearance of objective fact based truth, and highlights value-laden statements. Consequently, \u201c64% of adults believe fake news stories cause a great deal of confusion\u201d in the U.S.[vi]<\/sup><\/a> Furthermore, \u201csome 46% of adult social media users say they feel \u201cworn out\u201d by the number of political posts (…) they see on social media\u201d[vii]<\/sup><\/a>, according to studies by the PEW Research Center. The concern here is that feeling overwhelmed by the amount of information available and beliefs masqueraded as facts on social media, people may abandon critical thinking when making decisions on which news sites \u2013 or politicians \u2013 to trust. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In\naddition, the role of social media as a platform that provides not only\ninformation related to politics but also different forms of entertainment can\nbe argued to convolute the matter even further. According to Waltzman, \u201cthe\nmanipulation of our perception of the world is taking place on previously\nunimaginable scales of time, space and intentionality\u201d due to \u201cInternet and\nsocial media.\u201d[viii]<\/sup><\/a>\nIf social media is a platform that enables this distortion of the factual\nworld, its role as an information source needs to be rethought. Consequently,\nthe importance of critical thinking and information searching skills becomes\neven more evident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore,\nthe platforms that provide a means for disinformation to spread need to be\nchallenged. Despite social media\u2019s several benefits, its free form also offers\nan inlet for spreading false information, partly due to the fact that \u201ctheir\neconomics favour shareability over veracity and distribution over retraction.\u201d [ix]<\/sup><\/a> For example,\nalthough Twitter claims \u201cto be a place where people can (…) find reliable\ninformation, and express themselves freely and safely,\u201d[x]<\/sup><\/a>\nit has at the same time allowed the false narratives of Trump, among others, to\nspread fast and far.[xi]<\/sup><\/a>  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fortunately,\nseveral news media educate people on recognizing fake news and misinformation.[xii]<\/sup><\/a>\n[xiii]<\/sup><\/a>\nThe problem is that they are mainly left-leaning liberal media that the right-leaning\nmedia often judge as biased rather than objective. Due to the free form and\nless regulated usage of social media platforms, providing only unbiased and\nobjective information is nearly impossible. Therefore, the responsibility to\nfact-check and analyze received information rests mainly on the users.
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[i]<\/sup><\/a> Leonhardt & Thompson. Trump\u2019s Lies<\/em>. New York Times. Dec 14, 2017.  \nhttps:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2017\/06\/23\/opinion\/trumps-lies.html<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[ii]<\/sup><\/a> Smith, Silver, Johnson, Jiang. Publics in Emerging Economies Worry Social Media Sow Division, Even as\nThey Offer New Chances for Political Engagement. <\/em>PEW research center. May\n13, 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Publics in Emerging Economies Worry Social Media Sow Division, Even as They Offer New Chances for Political Engagement<\/a><\/blockquote>