Misinformation On The Internet
How we can avoid spreading and consuming misinformation online.
Woman drinking tea and scrolling on her phone.
Why is it that we have access to more information than ever before, but people seem to be less informed than ever? Wasn’t the internet supposed to make us smarter? People have been asking these questions for years, with renewed intensity since 2020.
What is Misinformation?
Misinformation is defined as “incorrect or misleading information.” This can happen accidentally, unlike disinformation which deliberately intends to mislead.
The spread of misinformation can have serious consequences when talking about public health, politics, the environment and more.
How Does Misinformation Spread?
Incidental news exposure: when people stumble across news online when they aren’t actively seeking it. While incidental news exposure does offer learning opportunities and can expose users to a variety of perspectives, some are unlikely to see and read news stories online.
Social media algorithms can fuel misinformation by highlighting misinformation posts that have a lot of engagement.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) plays a role by mistaking misinformation for credible content and spreading it.
Man sitting down, reading the newspaper
Social Media Algorithms and Misinformation
The probability of seeing news on social media mainly comes down to the choices users and platforms make about their feeds.
We can influence what content appears in our feeds by following and subscribing to credible sources like journalists and news providers. However, platforms still have the final say over what content we see and when.
A 2017 analysis of publicly available Facebook documents revealed nine "algorithmic values" that guided what appeared in a user's feed. The most influential criteria were friends, interests, and prior content engagement. The implication was that assumed personal interest was at the core of people’s feeds, not journalistic relevance or public interest.
Want to avoid misinformation online? Check out our previous webinar for tips that will help you notice and tackle untruths on the Internet. Watch it today!
Why Do People Click on News on Social Media?
The reasons for people engaging with news posts vary. Some may be inspired to read a story simply because it's published by a favourite news provider. Others might be inclined to learn more if the content seems interesting or relevant to them.
According to data from several studies, recommendations from friends boost the likelihood that users will engage with news content. (This could be a friend sharing a post or tagging a user in the comments.)
5 Factors that influence why people click on news:
Who the news provider is.
What the news is about.
Which social friend(s) shared the post.
What the user is like.
How or why a news post reached a user.
Should We Be Worried About Misinformation?
The researcher’s key point was that previous research on incidental news exposure might have been overly optimistic about the potential of stumbling across news. After all, users who are not motivated to seek out and engage with current events are unlikely to find them.
Misinformation is not a new issue. However, social media serves as a powder keg for the spread of faulty and harmful information.
How to avoid misinformation online:
Follow journalists and news organizations on social media
Seek information from a variety of sources
Experiment with new forms of presenting news as journalists and news organizations
Push to change social media algorithms
Share these tips today!
Study Objective & Methods
The Matthew Effect in Social Media News Use: Assessing Inequalities in News Exposure and News Engagement on Social Network Sites (SNS)
Anna Sophie Kümpel, Dr. rer. soc.
Published in Journalism, 2020.
The first objective of this article was to provide a comprehensive overview of research on the inequalities in social media news use. The second was to stimulate further research about the issue.
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This research (and all our social media and well-being articles) have laid the foundation for our 3-course program designed for anyone wanting to approach social media and communications in a way that protects well-being and puts people first. Learn more here.
