Author: Anita Sthankiya
Have you ever wondered how facts turn into fiction, and then turn into viral stories? It’s almost bewildering how something completely off topic can become a “fact” for something unrelated, but it happens more often than you might think. Welcome to the world of alternative facts: a new world where hoaxes often spread at lightning speed on social media, spark angry backlashes and prompt readers to take content at face value.
The focus of fake news is often thought of as being created by the mainstream media, but social media is also a predominant aggregator of fake news, as this article will point out. For example, somewhere along the line it became common practice to share memes on social media, with a significant percentage of readers presuming the content to be fact, rather than fake or satirical. In fact, a recent study by Eschelon Insights and Hart Research found that adults ages 18 to 49 trust news and political information shared from friends more than news delivered from other sources.
More pointedly, think about your experiences with Facebook. Every time we login to our accounts, we’re often bombarded with information, making it difficult to sort through content and find facts. For instance, consider this “infographic” that made its rounds on social media in October 2017.
Regarding the poster above, citizen Carole De Lorenzi asked Canadian news organization, Global News, whether or not the information was true. The media outlet quickly debunked the picture in a news article, but unfortunately, the damage from the post had already been done. According to the executive director of the Canadian Council for Refugees, the highest ranked page on the group’s website is one that debunks the refugee-pensioner myth. Shares like this one are not only extremely damaging to the reputation of organizations, such as the Canadian Council for Refugees, but they are also hugely detrimental to the overall productivity of said organization, as resources are sequentially dedicated to debunking myths instead of addressing pressing issues.
This meme was shared thousands of times, according to the Canadian Council for Refugees, and blatantly included fake information. On the other hand, sometimes viral images are completely taken out of context, primarily as a means of inciting hate towards marginalized groups.
The ongoing debate around the refugee crisis is a perfect example of the above mentioned scenario playing out in practice, as several right-wing groups have been cited as using photos and memes to demonise fleeing refugees.
In 2015, online news media outlet, Independent.co.uk, debunked several viral photos on social media that were claiming to show refugees as rioting militants that were inciting hate.
In fact, a widely shared photo that claimed refugees attacked police with an ISIS flag made the rounds on social media and was shared tens of thousands of times. The photo turned out to be a copyrighted image from www.presstv.com, and was actually shot from a protest in Germany in 2012. It had absolutely nothing to do with refugees. The Muslims in the picture were part of a counter-protest at an anti-Islam rally in Bonn.
While the photo was three-years-old and not related to the refugee crisis in Europe at the time, it was stolen and passed off with malicious intent.
You may also remember seeing a meme circulating that claimed refugees are not victims, but rather bodybuilders who are planning to invade British towns.
The photo was taken out of context, and a reverse image search shows that it was taken in 2013 by a photographer on Christmas Island off the coast of Australia. The men in the photos are even wearing blue Australian Customs and Border Protection uniforms.
When memes and information are shared in this way, it can be difficult to discern what is fact and what is fiction.
The first set of hard data on fake-news consumption has been released, as researchers published an analysis of the browsing histories of thousands of adults ahead of the US 2016 election. It offers a real-time picture of who viewed which fake stories, and what real stories those same people were seeing at the same time.
The study, conducted by Brendan Nyhan of Dartmouth College, Andrew Guess of Princeton University, and Jason Reifler of the University of Exeter, analyzed web traffic from 2,525 Americans who consented to having their online activity monitored anonymously, and the research discovered that one in four Americans read at least one false news story.
The team defined a visited website as fake news if it posted at least two demonstrably false stories. While participants read only a small fraction of fake stories, it still amounted to one false story per week.
Of course, there is no way to determine from this data how much was believed by these people, or whether they did believe the information at all. What is important is to recognize that such stories reached people whether they were knowledgeable of it or not.
The study also found that Facebook was the the highest ranking platform directing people to a fake news site, and that those individuals 60 years old and older were more likely to visit a fake news site than younger people.
As more and more false information lands in front of us, it is becoming more difficult to identify something as inaccurate, especially if it has been shared tens of thousands of times.
A survey conducted by the Pew Research Centre found 64 percent of American adults said made-up news stories were causing confusion about basic facts on current issues and events. In the past, poorly photoshopped images were the go-to source for spreading misinformation, and it was relatively easy to spot a fake image. But things have changed and the sheer number of fake memes and posts makes it virtually impossible to fact check each one, especially when high resolution photos are being misused and widely shared.
There are plenty of sites available working to bust fake news including www.snopes.com.
But, if the counter information isn’t shared in the same manner of the viral post, the damage from the false post cannot be counteracted. Facebook and Twitter have initiated algorithm changes, policies, and new systems to catch these fake posts, but it isn’t a perfect system.
What can be even more challenging is finding the original source of the fake news or meme once it goes viral. If a source cannot be found, it is next to impossible to hold someone responsible for misinforming people. Those people whose photos are stolen for the purpose of disseminating fake news have no way to take control of their intellectual property and stop the viral image from being shared.
Ultimately, it is up to users to spend the time to fact check information that is presented to them and to use discretion before sharing something that could be inaccurate. Until technology can catch up with this problem, it is the responsibility of the platforms and the users to remain vigilant and to share content that is legitimate and factual.
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