How fake news is affecting social media
Fake news is an issue that is coming up more and more in recent times. Fake news is when false information is spread, usually to damage a person or brand. Many news outlets and social media companies are trying to stop this from happening.
Since the past year, Facebook has been shutting down accounts that they believe are spreading fake news and hoaxes. According to Phys.org, Facebook’s policy, however, is not transparent enough and people do not know what causes an account to be removed.
“Facebook’s transparency is essential to help the public understand better what is happening, so they can empower themselves to fight against the spread of misinformation,” Phys.org said.
On the other hand, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, has said that Twitter is not a media company, so they are not responsible for the information on their site. He said they do not want to discriminate against anyone for their political views and that Twitter should not be “arbiters of truth.”
“What is misinformation? And how do we help people determine credibility?” Dorsey said. “I don’t think it’s pretty easy. What we could do is help provide more context. Identifying more credible voices.”
Journalists and news outlets are making an effort to eliminate fake news, which is usually spread through social media platforms. There are many ways for journalists to avoid and detect fake news, such as verifying information before putting it out and confirming content before reposting or spreading it further.
The consequences of fake news is massive, such as it can ruin the credibility of a journalist or news outlet. Also, many people will believe the wrong information and misguide them in the future, and it will be hard to believe the actual truth once it comes out.
The spread of fake news needs to be stopped in order to make sure the readers and consumers always get the most accurate information. It is also important to continually put out credible news in order for people to maintain trust in social media and journalists.
