Social Media Users More Likely To Believe Misinformation

Social media platforms are built to connect people and share information, they have now become a source of news for around the world. Most of the people who depend on social media as their primary source of news are expected to believe false or unverified stories about important topics such as politics.

As stated by Pew Research Centre report, people who preferred social platforms for news were found to be less updated regarding major public affairs topics and more prone to trusting gossip and pranks.

The report issued as the social media platforms are becoming a rising source of news despite struggles by traditional media in the digital age.

The main motive of spreading fake news is to manipulate the public and their opinions to generate clicks, likes and engagement for financial or ideological reasons.

Misleading information regarding health issues can cause problems for public health. People tend to spread wrong information about viruses, treatments and vaccines. Social media news users are more observant of specific false or unverified stories just like coronavirus, people are informed that they had heard more false information about the coronavirus rather than accurate information.

Where Artificial Intelligence (AI) brings advantages in daily life it has also the ability to manipulate people, it can be used to spread misinformation, political propaganda or campaigns. This type of content is spreading fake news which is causing crime. Photos, videos or audio of any person can be created by using highly generated AI models. It can also target individuals to make false confessions or explicit content.

The researchers also found that among traditional media users, roughly a quarter of Americans consistently turned to “partisan” news sites to support their views on politics.

Some steps you should take on how you can stop the spread of fake news is to educate yourself, support reliable sources, report fake accounts and be mindful before sharing any content.