What concrete steps can be taken to combat misinformation on social media? This problem is hardly an issue on this platform, but it certainly is elsewhere. Do you have any ideas or suggestions?
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Linking to sources, that is a big one. Even something as honest as "I read it off this Wikipedia page [link]" goes a long way in showing that the poster is not pulling an idea out of their ass.
I will always prefer having debates where both sides cite their information, even if there isn't a satisfying agreement at the end. Plus, faulty sources can be debunked when more eyes are able to scrutinize it.
wrote last edited by [email protected]On the opposite end of the spectrum:
"I put it into chatGPT and it said George Soros is funding ISIS to raid Epstein Island."
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On the opposite end of the spectrum:
"I put it into chatGPT and it said George Soros is funding ISIS to raid Epstein Island."
Still more credibility if you cite it rather than copy+paste XD
(And we can laugh at the poster who decided that was a valid source)
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Of course not.
But Trump's going to do it and no one is going to stop him. And if we aren’t willing to look at, say, Lemmy and misleading upvoted posts, how can we possibly tell MAGA acolytes to do the same thing on a more extreme scale?
Well, my question was about how to counter the constant misinformation spread by influential people like Trump (there are people like him in pretty much every country) – that's why I mentioned other platforms, because Lemmy is completely irrelevant in this context due to its very limited reach.
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Well, my question was about how to counter the constant misinformation spread by influential people like Trump (there are people like him in pretty much every country) – that's why I mentioned other platforms, because Lemmy is completely irrelevant in this context due to its very limited reach.
wrote last edited by [email protected]Ah.
Well IMO, we really can’t.
I think the old adage of the internet applies: don’t feed the trolls. Trying to counter Trump just feeds his media machine with engagement, which is what got us here.
In other words, there is no such thing as bad attention.
Hence, I think we should focus our ire on the systems propping that up (like Big Tech's engagement driven social media, profit above all news and such), not on Trump directly.
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Do you have any examples?
wrote last edited by [email protected]As a mod for a couple of the biggest communities… gestures to everything
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This problem is hardly an issue on this platform.
And this is the problem.
I see objectively misleading, clickbait headlines and articles from bad (eg not recommended by Wikipedia) sources float to the top of Lemmy all the time.
I call them out, but it seems mods are uninterested in enforcing more strict information hygiene.
Step 1 is teaching journalism and social media hygiene as a dedicated class in school, or on social media… And, well, the US is kinda past that being possible :/.
There might be hope for the rest of the world.
wrote last edited by [email protected]Hey, just wanted to say I’m always grateful when someone calls out posts not linking to proper sources. Your doing good work, thanks!
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Do you have any examples?
Recently there was a news story about how people earning 150k were struggling financially. Even just reading the article was enough to know the idea was bullshit (which is probably why the headline used such mealy-mouthed language). But that did not stop a bunch of users from prognosticating about how terrible the economy is and how we are on the verge of collapse.
The idea that households earning more than 150k are struggling is objectively wrong. They are not. But that idea is consistent with the political sentiments of users here ( billionaires vs everyone else in a zero sum economy ) so it gets traction.
People pass around trash sources like the new republic which often just copies other news outlets but reframes stories to be consistent with lefty sentiments about whatever current events are going on.
In one community I encountered an image macro criticizing a judge for making a ruling against some plaintiffs suing Trump that was completely divorced from any context, making it appear the judge was in the tank for trump when, if you knew even a little about her, or the ruling you would immediately recognize that idea as bullshit.
Those are just a few examples off the top of my head
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This post did not contain any content.wrote last edited by [email protected]
If we want to go the route of the Responsibility of the Individual:
Resolve to not get your political etc. news from social media. Draw a line for yourself: cool to get gaming news from random influencers online? Probably. News about global events? At this point might be better for most people's mental health to ignore them and focus more locally. However, read how to read a book, make your best effort at finding a reputable news organization and check those for news if you must have them. On same vein, if you don't read at least some article about an event being discussed on social media, DON'T COMMENT. Don't engage with that post. If it really grabs at you, go find an article about it from a trusted source, and depending on how much it animates you, try to get a bigger picture of the event. Assume that vast majority of ALL CONTENT online is currently incentivized to engage you - to capture your attention, which is actually the most valuable asset you have. Where you put your attention will define how you feel about your life. It's highly advicable to put it where you feel love.Responsibility of the Collective:
Moving in hierarchies, we can start demanding that social media moderators (or whatever passes for those in any given site) prevent misinformation as much as possible. Try to only join communities that have mods that do this. Failing that, demand social media platforms prevent misinformation. Failing that, we can demand the government does more to prevent misinformation. All of those solutions have significant issues, one of them being they are all very incentivized to capture the attenttion of as many people as possible. Doesn't matter what the exact motivation is - it could be a geneinly good one. A news organization uses social media tactics to get the views so that their actually very factual and dilligently compiled articles get the spread. Or, they could be looking to drive their political agenda - which they necessarily do anyway because desire to be factual and as neutral as possible is a stance as well. One that may run afoul of the interests of some government that doesn't value freedom of press - which is very dangerous and you need to think hard for yourself how you feel about the idea of the government limiting what kind of information you can access. For the purposes of making this shorter, you can regard massive social media platforms as virtual governments too. In fact, it would be a good idea in general.The thing with misinformation is that many people who talk about it subtly think that they are above it themselves. They're thinking that they know they're not subject to propaganda and manipulation but it's the other poor fools that need to be protected from it. It's the Qanon and Antivaxxers. But you know better, you know how to dig deeper into massively complicated global topics and find out what the true and right opinion about them is. You can't. Not even if we weren't in the middle of multiple fucking information wars. You'd do well to focus on what you can know for sure, in your own experience. If you don't like the idea of individual responsibility though, because "most people aren't going to do it" - your best bet at getting a collective response is a group of individuals coming together under the same ideal. It'll happen sooner or later anyway and there's going to be plenty of suffering before either way.
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Any examples?
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This post did not contain any content.wrote last edited by [email protected]
I just wanna know: What do you do when talking to a friend IRL, face to face, and they tell you something that isn't true?
While there may aftually be people trying to push an agenda, I suspect 90% or more people who "spread misinformation online" are just regular old idiots.
People don't suddenly stop being people just because they have a computer and anonimity. And a lot of people are just misinformed.
Best way to stop misinformation online? Same as it is offline: Through better fucking education.
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I look at any individual's history when they post anything sketchy and contextualize. Anything politically motivated is likely a shill unless they have a long broadly engaged post history across many subjects with depth. I block a lot of people too.
Do me! I'd honestly be interested in a report. I'm obviously not a bot, but what can you glean from my posts?
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Do me! I'd honestly be interested in a report. I'm obviously not a bot, but what can you glean from my posts?
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Recently there was a news story about how people earning 150k were struggling financially. Even just reading the article was enough to know the idea was bullshit (which is probably why the headline used such mealy-mouthed language). But that did not stop a bunch of users from prognosticating about how terrible the economy is and how we are on the verge of collapse.
The idea that households earning more than 150k are struggling is objectively wrong. They are not. But that idea is consistent with the political sentiments of users here ( billionaires vs everyone else in a zero sum economy ) so it gets traction.
People pass around trash sources like the new republic which often just copies other news outlets but reframes stories to be consistent with lefty sentiments about whatever current events are going on.
In one community I encountered an image macro criticizing a judge for making a ruling against some plaintiffs suing Trump that was completely divorced from any context, making it appear the judge was in the tank for trump when, if you knew even a little about her, or the ruling you would immediately recognize that idea as bullshit.
Those are just a few examples off the top of my head
wrote last edited by [email protected]That news is basically about how people who used to earn 150k per year that since losing their job and can't find one, thus can't keep up with their mortgage and debt. What's so fake about it? You sure we read the same news?
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That news is basically about how people who used to earn 150k per year that since losing their job and can't find one, thus can't keep up with their mortgage and debt. What's so fake about it? You sure we read the same news?
I was referring to the story that implied the rate of loan defaults was rising among households earning over 150K, but the data showed a default rate that increased from something like 0.17% to 0.36% of all households in that category, didn't describe the variance around that rate, and didn't describe the reliability of the administrative records from which the rate was calculated--two factors that will dominate percentage fluctuation at values that infinitesimally small.
If you go into the comment sections where that story was posted, you will see people talking about how America forces even middle class people to spend lavishly beyond their needs, or how people in this class are irresponsible with money, or how impossible it is to live in HCOL cities, or how wealthy people are stealing everything, or how corporations are stealing everything. Few people really questioned the plausibility of the story's framing.
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I just wanna know: What do you do when talking to a friend IRL, face to face, and they tell you something that isn't true?
While there may aftually be people trying to push an agenda, I suspect 90% or more people who "spread misinformation online" are just regular old idiots.
People don't suddenly stop being people just because they have a computer and anonimity. And a lot of people are just misinformed.
Best way to stop misinformation online? Same as it is offline: Through better fucking education.
I say "huh. I hadn't heard that one. Let me look it up. .... Ohh no, that turned out to be fake. It's getting so hard to tell these days. Just the other day I was reading..." And then start rambling about another topic. It prevents them from sitting with the uncomfortable feeling of being an idiot.
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Hardly an issue on Lemmy?
Or does it just feel that way when everyone around you has the same views?
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Free speech. The only way to combat bad ideas is with better ones.
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I look at any individual's history when they post anything sketchy and contextualize. Anything politically motivated is likely a shill unless they have a long broadly engaged post history across many subjects with depth. I block a lot of people too.
Do you seriously think someone is getting paid to come shill for a cause on Lemmy?
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Media literacy is an old and important topic. Are you asking for an introduction to it?
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Do you seriously think someone is getting paid to come shill for a cause on Lemmy?
wrote last edited by [email protected]I think it is bots everywhere. Yeah, I have seen new and unused accounts post stuff with a clearly political agenda. We are in the age of individual targeting. A single very skilled dev could substantially alter public zeitgeist. It has become common for scripted botnets to exist. The idea of a nation like Israel the US or Russia creating such influence is well within scope. Russia brags about their ability to shape public opinion. I think the most influential people are actually not the super popular influencers. I think the real influencers are the next layer deeper like many people here. Super popular people are repackaging the things that people in places like here are not very good at communicating at scale. Maybe it is just my bias, but I often do projects and share ideas I have never seen before then watch others do them better than myself in ways that are far more popular than mine. I have no delusion of grandeur, it is just a pattern I've spotted a few times in life and seen it happen to others. The masses are mostly like a school of fish or mice following the piper blindly. People that are capable of thinking for themselves are the ones to watch carefully.
