Filter Bubbles and Fake News — Is Social Media really a reliable source of information?

I’m sure many of us, being avid social media users, are already aware that information shared through Social Media is often either exaggerated, modified for shock value, or just outright false. This is often caused by groups or individuals who are actively trying to mislead others and subsequently generate conflict or feed into existing discourse. But to what extent is information on social media really unreliable, is it slowly becoming something we should start ignoring and not considering at all, or rather something we must learn to navigate?

First, we should discuss what Fake News consists of, why it exists, and how social media helps it spread. Fake News often refers to two things; Misinformation and Disinformation, with the main point of difference between the two, is the intention. Misinformation aims to influence public opinion rather than intentionally deceive the masses. Meanwhile, the main goal of disinformation is to deceive, making it quite dangerous.

So why does fake news exist? of course, this question wouldn’t only be applied to today’s digital world but can be identified in history as well with the best example being propaganda. If we are to believe that fake news is a strategy to influence people to believe or do something, then it becomes clear why it is a major problem on social media platforms. The first reason would be that restrictions on what information can be shared on social media are limited compared to formal journalism outlets, allowing people to say almost anything they wanted. On social media, there are no editors meaning that the information uploaded to these sources is not reviewed. Arguably, we can say that the reason people tend to believe fake news online is due to the way we consume digital media. Everything is so fast-paced that sometimes people tend to overlook the possibility that the information might be false.

When we consider the reliability of information from social media, we should also consider biases in the form of “Filter Bubbles.” What are filter bubbles and how do they influence an individual’s social media experiences? Many people don’t know the power that online algorithms hold over your social media experience. For the typical social media user, algorithms may appear useful and generally safe as they sort through the content and present only content that is relevant to your consumption preferences. However, algorithms have the ability to create what is known as “filter bubbles.”

Being in a filter bubble indicates that these algorithms have cut you off from knowledge and viewpoints that you haven’t already indicated an interest in, which could lead to the loss of crucial information. The algorithm essentially narrows down the information you see, making it feel as though everyone may share the same feelings as you as opposed to showing you conflicting viewpoints that may be beneficial to see. This becomes an issue as it creates a bias that subsequently might invalidate some sources. For example, if there was a new game that was released and you are a game journalist, you want to write an article about the response you’ve seen to the new game. If you interact with a post agreeing that the game was amazing, the algorithm is likely to prioritize information from that perspective. This will lead to an unintentionally biased article. This of course is an exaggerated example but it helps to understand the impact that filter bubbles can have.