How to spot 'false information' on social media
Any kind of fake news coming on social media means the amount of damage increases
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In the era of increasing development of technology, online social communication platforms have become a part of our daily life. Many people rely on social media rather than mainstream media for information and news. But it can lead to negative consequences for individuals, society and the state in many areas. Because, anyone can share information as they wish on social media. And with this opportunity, many spread false or distorted information to implement specific agendas of individuals and groups. Therefore, experts advise against relying on social media as a source of authentic news.
Recently, two researchers from "Loughborough University" in the UK, Andrew Chadwick and Christian State, have conducted a study on this topic. According to the research report, they mentioned that nowadays the users of social media are constantly victims of wrong and false information.
So these two researchers emphasized on knowing the ways to identify "fake news".
According to them, there are usually two types of fake news that appear on social media. One of them is “misinformation” or wrong information; The other is “disinformation” or rumours.
Explaining the matter, these two researchers said that there is a specific purpose behind publishing "misinformation" or wrong information from a person or a certain page of social media. This is usually done with fraudulent conspiratorial information, fabricated reports or false information. They also mentioned that in most cases such wrong information is published for the purpose of creating a public opinion.
On the other hand, the main purpose of “disinformation” or spreading rumors is to mislead people. In this case too, the conspirators resorted to the tactics of spreading wrong information.
According to the researchers, any kind of false news on social media means the damage is increased. Because many people "share" information without verifying it.
So they advised to verify any information found on social media before sharing it. For this reason, these two technology researchers asked to pay attention to a few things. Let's find out about it-
Personal account
- Certain questions can be used to identify whether the information given by a person is false or not. They are-
- Is the person “posting” or “sharing” the information out of personal passion or a professional perspective?
- Are the facts reasonable?
- Does the information mention a reliable source?
- How important is the “post” or “share” being made to him?
Business or professional account
Nowadays, many people use social media as a marketing strategy to achieve business objectives. In this case, information is disseminated by identifying certain classes.
So if there is any promotional information circulating on social media, try to find out if you need it? Are there more such products in the market? Where is the difference in their effectiveness with them? In providing the service or product, is the customer's personal information collected?
Other things to watch out for
"Trusted and trusted media sources should be listed," said Joey Carrigan, senior security engineer at the Johns Hopkins Information Society Institute in the UK.
In the report published on the website of Johns Hopkins University, he further said, “News-reporting and personal opinion must be distinguished. Newspapers often express the opinions of different people. Any professional quality news organization separates their reporting and the opinions of others. These things should be taken care of on social media.”
In addition, Kergan said that it is possible to verify information using various "fact checking tools", "such 'tools' help to identify fake news. But it must be remembered - at this time, seeing with the eye does not mean believing."
Meanwhile, spreading misinformation using “AI”-based images, “deep fake” videos has also increased.
Regarding the issue, Carrigan said, “Anything that comes out on social media should be viewed with a sharp eye and suspicion. You can't just jump and believe any news."
