Disinformation is the deliberate spread of verifiably false or misleading content to gain financially or to deceive the public.
In 2016 and again in 2018, Russian agents posed as people on both sides of hot-button issues to foment distrust and discord. A recent study by Avaaz, a nonprofit that focuses on social media disinformation, found in the past three months fabricated news stories got 86 million views, more than three times as many as during the previous three months.
University of Washington associate professor Kate Starbird, who researches online disinformation said "If we look
through timelines, most of us will find we are sharing disinformation on social media."
People over 65 on average shared nearly seven times as many articles from fake news domains as the youngest age group, one study found.
However, 52% of students believed a grainy video shot in Russia claiming to show ballot stuffing in the 2016 Democratic primaries was "strong evidence" of voter fraud. Only three out of 3,000 tracked down the source of the video, even though a quick internet search provided many articles debunking it.
However, 52% of students believed a grainy video shot in Russia claiming to show ballot stuffing in the 2016 Democratic primaries was "strong evidence" of voter fraud. Only three out of 3,000 tracked down the source of the video, even though a quick internet search provided many articles debunking it.
Think before you share. When in doubt, don’t share. If something gets you really excited, that’s the moment not to send it to other people. Relax and double check. That content will still be there in five minutes or in five hours. Just repeating something often enough that isn’t true – or mostly isn’t true – helps convince people that it is.
- Does that Facebook post make your blood boil? Or does itmake you fearful of the future?
- Does something strain credulity (oh hey, the pope endorsed Donald Trump) or conform a bit too neatly to your hyperpartisan beliefs (remember piling on the Covington students)?
- Is something just so heartwarming and uplifting that you can’t wait to share it with all your friends?
Ask yourself:
- Is someone deliberately trying to make me feel this way? Who are they and what is their agenda? If you have any uncertainty about the validity of a post, spare your friends and family. If you see a headline that makes you outraged or scared, ask yourself, “Who's trying to trick me?"
- Who is the person publishing this information? Is this person reliable? What else has this person posted? Are the claims in the post being backed up by reputable sources?
- Are the facts getting distorted? Are perspectives that are different from yours being left out? Does the person publishing this information have something to gain? Are other legitimate websites publishing the same information?
Never share a post if you've only read the headline. There are plenty of sensational and misleading headlines that drive clicks but don't accurately reflect the facts. People instinctively trust images more than words.
Disinformation is often tough to spot because sometimes it’s not technically false but have half-truths, facts twisted with something made up, or information completely out of context. Peddlers of disinformation are banking that, when they target us with just the right internet meme, our innate biases will take over and call the shots. So before sharing anything on social media, the best strategy is to scrutinize the content
We all have bull’s-eye targets on our backs, especially if you are active in politics, And, because they hide among us, it’s much harder for social media companies and disinformation researchers to identify bad actors. Don't just pass on information without first checking it out.
Do some homework.Sometimes that's as simple as a Google search. Use Google image search or TinEye to check where images sources and whether they’ve been manipulated. Effective campaigns rely on recruiting “unwitting collaborators” who are unaware that they are amplifying and legitimizing messages that exist solely to inflame tensions over race, guns, abortion or immigration and undermine faith in our institutions.
You are lending credibility and visibility to the person whose information you are sharing. The Russian Internet Research Agency trolls got traction, by repeating what everyone else was saying and picking up on legitimate grievances. When they became part of the group, it was hard to distinguish them from everybody else.
Be on the alert for posts about voting, such as warnings of long lines at polling places, voter fraud or malfunctioning voting machines. Disinformation peddlers also traffic in fake endorsements. Give those extra scrutiny.
Expect “deep fakes” - digitally manipulated images, videos and even audio in the 2020 presidential election. Videos doctored with state-of-the-art artificial intelligence . The technology is evolving quickly, making these videos harder to detect.
Check out:
- 3,517 Facebook ads bought by Russians.
- How a few shady social media posts fed a viral firestorm over Covington Catholic (and why it will happen again)
- How a lie about George Soros and the migrant caravan multiplied online
- Facebook uncovers Iran disinformation to sow political discord over Trump, race
- Snapchat is rolling out a tool called Cameo that uses deepfake technology
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