Fact-Checking Information in The Future
Fact-checking is a current concept that has arisen in previous years with the false spread of information on social media sites. Fact-checking entails investigating a statement or set of issues to evaluate if the given information is deemed a fact. Social media platforms specifically can easily be used to manipulate the public. If a statement is given from a celebrity, which states false information; people can be easily persuaded to believe them even if it’s not true. With fact-checking technology in the future, we can look to avoid this in all aspects of life. While currently the focus is on social media sites, this can be branched out into other news and information outlets. The overall goal is summed up well with a statement from the people who are attempting to create a base model for this technology, “Bad information ruins lives. It harms our communities, by spreading hate through misleading claims. It hurts our democracy, by damaging trust in politicians and political processes. It leads to bad decisions, by disrupting public debate on the issues that most affect us, including climate change and public spending.” My vision for the future is to have a system that can fact-check all sources of information in real time. For an example, having a news broadcast have a plugin that can fact-check all information being provided across all networks.
Flagging false information is a current tool that we use on social media sites on a small scale. While this is a great start, this is nowhere near what we need to implement this successfully. Rather than just flagging this as false information, we need to provide a concise and accurate source of information. Currently, we have a base for this technology to work, “This Bass Connections project aimed to build databases, systems and apps to make fact-checkers more effective and help media consumers identify misinformation and disinformation faster.” This needs to be easily accessible and free to the public. Including this on new sites will be a bit of a challenge, but with the advancement of smart televisions, we can see this a possibility for a clickable link through the television that gives verified information to the user.
This is all a ground model for what I would imagine to be the future of technology, but this is already developing over time. In the near future we can expect to see more adaptations and accessibility to this type of system. Once this starts to roll out, it will always be a critical piece of all new technology. Monitoring the integrity of other systems is a large consideration that will be thought of continuously when developing new information systems.
The current state of fact-checking is a small scale with a goal to impact a small market. This is a great start but is nowhere close to the potential that it could have in the future of technology. Information is a crucial commodity; we need to insure that with the increasing amount of information at our disposal is accurate. Inaccurate information can cause chaos in our current era. We saw a major example of this after the recent election. Fact-checking became a large concern after multiple instances occurred by high figures in previous and current government roles took to social media platforms and were spreading this “misinformation” on such a large platform. Another great example from recent times would lead us towards covid data. Whether that be about case data or vaccination information, we can see a great significance in making sure this information we are seeing is legitimate. Since this has been such a large-scale dilemma, we cannot afford to spread misinformation about topics of this severity. Even larger matters will become a concern in the future. With the power of technology, we need to stay ahead of what’s coming, always being proactive. This future technology is not far away from becoming a reality.
Another major impact that this can have, would be the implementation of a real time fact-checking in the school environment. This would ensure that all information given by a teacher to their students is clear and accurate. While, this is not a problem currently, I can see this being a problem in the future when curriculum become more advanced. Even in a college setting, it would be beneficial to make use of. While teachers don’t intentionally spread misinformation, it is still a possibility. Teachers don’t intentionally spread false information, but it’s a possibility that we need to consider with the evolving knowledge that is accessible on the internet. Learning is a critical piece of shaping the younger generations, we need to ensure that the integrity of our schooling is kept in line with the amount of information that is becoming accessible.
How does this impact our daily lives? While it might not impact every person daily, in the scenarios where information is pertinent to success, this tool/ software will be a useful application to better the spread of information. No more false claims on news and social media platforms that will sway individuals in a malicious way. With this futuristic system, we are building on our existing free society. This would be a great step to enable people to freedom of choice, rather than being persuaded by popular belief demonstrated on social media sites and news outlets. Overall fact-checking needs to be a priority for the future. Without it, we lack a concept of purity in our technology and the spread of information.
