Don’t believe all you read on social media
Can you ensure the accuracy of what you are seeing?
We’ve all probably either been victim to or known someone who’s been influenced by misinformation on social media.
While most times it’s harmless observations, other times it’s potentially damaging information shared carelessly which could lead to angst or even mass hysteria.
Do you believe everything you see on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter? Are you able to critically think of the information you read, cross-check its authenticity against other evidence, available facts and different sources before you make a judgment?
“The great thing about social media is that we can share so much information, but the awful thing about social media is also that sharing of information,” said owner of Bold and Italic Michelle McCann. “Sometimes it feels like a huge game of telephone, where the story at the end of the line is nothing like what you started with.”
Bold and Italic is a boutique social media and marketing agency based in Truro, N.S. McCann started her business in 2013 when she recognized the value social media held for small businesses.
McCann believes that, while there are a lot of people who are social media savvy and go the extra step to make sure information they are consuming and sharing is true, there are many more who believe if they see it on Facebook, it’s truth.
“Whether it’s a major story or neighbourhood gossip, you need to consider the source when it comes to news.”
McCann follows many news accounts on Twitter.
“That is usually my main source of consumption for news. I tend to check my feed a few times a day to see what people are talking about. I find that it’s the quickest way to stay up to speed on what’s happening in my world.”
QUESTION EVERYTHING
Halifax-based Kate Sullivan, owner, CEO and online business manager at Virtually Connected Solutions, thinks social media feeds contribute to fake news in a ripple effect.
“Someone posts about something that is real (or fake) and, by the time everyone comments on it, it is frequently taken totally out of context ... Unfortunately, the consumption of information and news has to be taken with a grain of salt and cross-referenced with other sources.”
INFORMATION OVERLOAD
Nova Scotia content marketer Linda Daley frankly doesn’t get why people put so much trust in social media.
“I’m in my 50s, so it’s hard for me to imagine how easy it is to be taken in ... I don’t mean to imply it’s a generational thing, but rather a life experience thing.”
She consumes her breaking news via Twitter on her phone and usually follows links from there onward for more information.
“I’m ultimately skeptical so I’m usually looking for confirmation to prove that something is true ...”
Daley also thinks people have to process so much information that “we’re overloaded,” she said.
“Sometimes, (social media) feels like a huge game of telephone, where the story at the end of the line is nothing like what you started with,” says Michelle McCann, owner of Bold and Italic social media marketing agency.
“There’s way more decision-making going on than in the past so our brains have to take lots of shortcuts.”
On social media, according to her, this comes out as quick and instant decisions to share something without really knowing whether it’s true.
“And some will do it consciously for attention, too.”
McCann thinks it’s not always easy to define or recognize fake news.
“Much of the time, fake news is more subtle disinformation based in truth with the details tweaked or exaggerated — think of an event where 20 people attended, but the news (source) reports hundreds in attendance.”
She shares that we all suffer from a lack of attention when on our feeds and we share items based on the headline alone, without bothering to look at the source, read the
RESEARCH AND REDUCE
So how do people be critical consumers of information on social media? The first step, according to McCann, is to look at the source of the information.
“If it’s a news organization you recognize, there’s a far better chance that it will be based in fact.”
Then she advises looking at the date the article was published.
“Information changes quickly ... and something that was true a week ago may not be so today and social media algorithms make it easy for old news stories to pop up in your feed.”
She also usually tells people to use their own proverbial smell test.
“If it seems like it’s not real — for example, a Facebook page giving away a house or an RV — it probably isn’t.”
A habit Daley is working on is to ignore the minutia.
“I focus on the things that interest me and try to ignore the rest. There are ways to block content on all of the social media channels — it’s worth taking time to do that.”
Social media creates community. McCann shares she has made many real-life friends through social media.
“But it has also divided us and hurt our overall ability as a society to think critically,” she added.
As someone who works in social media, she sees what a valuable resource it is for her clients to share their businesses and reach their customers.
“But as a user of social media, it can be overwhelming on a good day.”