This post will explore how social media can (and does) trick you into misinformation for the sake of ad revenue. This is especially important now, with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic that lasted much longer than it should have.
Fake News!
Before we dive into misinformation, I need to highlight an important concept: social media bots. Bots are basically programs that run automatically either in full or partially, and mimic human behavior. These bots can like/dislike/upvote/downvote, reshare and retweet posts and messages. They can also write comments based on trigger words. Say a post appears about how bad sugar is, bots can be programmed to detect the presence of the words "bad" and "sugar" together and automatically post a reply to why sugar is good. These replies are usually from one of many scripted paragraphs.
Not all bots are bad though.
Some bots provide weather and sports scores updates. However, others can be used maliciously to influence the popularity of post/idea/person, overwhelm a movement by suppressing it though mass messages to dilute the movement's own messages, etc...
So how do I spot bots?
Well the answer isn't very straightforward. Bots are constantly evolving and have started to exhibit more and more human-like behavior. As an example, it was found that 45% of more than 200 million tweets discussing the COVID virus were sent by accounts that behave more like computerized robots than humans [1].
However some steps you can take to try to identify a bot include:
1- Using Google's Reverse Image Search on profile pics. If it's taken from a website/stock images/other people's accounts, then the account is most probably a fake
2- If an account is very active throughout the day, it is less likely to be a normal human
3- Most posts are retweets or reshares of other posts
4- Mass hashtag spam is a way bots use to get their spammy hashtags trending even if unrelated to a post
5- Overall, look at the account as a whole, you'll start seeing patterns that would indicate the account is more likely to be a bot
Enough about bots, how does this affect me in real life?
Fair question. By spreading misinformation constantly, you're more likely to be exposed to it and more likely to believe it. After all, if you're seeing the same info posted everywhere several times a day, why wouldn't you believe it? A study by MIT found that falsehoods are 70% more likely to be retweeted on Twitter than the truth, and reach their first 1,500 people six times faster [2].
Why is this important to health specifically?
Well there's been a lot of misinformation about the coronavirus, its impact, treatments, and vaccination. How many posts have we seen claiming the virus to be a hoax or the vaccine being a secret way to control us through chips? While it may seem harmless humor, it is in fact very detrimental to society. Aren't we all sick of the constant lockdowns? The constant quarantine? It's been over a year since the pandemic started and here we are still.
What do you think would have happened had everyone agreed on how serious the virus was? 6 weeks of complete worldwide lockdown could have stopped the virus in its tracks and we could have resumed normal life. Instead, a lot of misinformation caused people to disregard the threat and to contribute to the spread of the virus.
The same thing is happening with vaccines. "Vaccines will affect pregnancy", "vaccines will cause cancer". Ask for a source to all these claims and you won't get a reply. While it's good that the majority are embracing vaccination, a large number of people are still against vaccination which could delay the resolution of this seemingly never-ending pandemic.
So how do I spot misinformation?
It's really simple. Do your own research! Check whether the information you're seeing is actually true or false. Simply googling something will often times show you that something is fake. Don't rely on social media for your information, always double check everything you see, and more importantly call out misinformation!
Well where do I get my news from then?
There isn't one unbiased source you should use. Instead, check different websites. Reuters is a good start and is usually the least biased but don't be afraid to check other websites too.
Should I delete my social media accounts?
Not necessary at all. You can still use social media to stay in contact with friends and family and keep up with their lives while you update them on yours. However, there is one additional thing to know.
Too much social media is bad for your mental health
As with everything, you need to use social media in moderation. Several studies have linked the overuse of social media to anxiety and depression. While social media can help us develop relationships and provide us with online support, it can also be isolating and addictive. This is especially true in children and young adults who are deceived by posts of filtered beauty and unrealistic social activity of other people that might make them feel inadequate and unpopular. A 2018 British study linked social media use to decreased quality of sleep, which is associated with depression, memory loss, and poor academic performance [3]. The best way to avoid these detrimental effects is though moderation.
Bottom Line
Social media can be a great tool to maintain and develop relationships, but it can also be used to spread misinformation and manipulate users for personal gain. Using social media in moderation and researching other sources to fact-check information should become standards of practice.
