University of Kwazulu-Natal

How To Combat The Spread Of Misinformation On Social Media

Bonisiwe Shabane
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how to combat the spread of misinformation on social media

Este artículo estará disponible en español en El Tiempo Latino. Misinformation is nothing new. It has, however, become ubiquitous and, in some cases, more difficult and time-consuming than ever to debunk. When we first started publishing in 2003 — which predated Facebook (2004), YouTube (2005) and Twitter (2006) — viral misinformation took the form of chain emails. Although they were a problem at the time, chain emails were to misinformation what the Pony Express is to ChatGPT. As the popularity of social media platforms has grown, so too has the scope of viral misinformation and the speed with which it travels.

And this falsehood-fraught environment is increasingly where people get their news. In a survey of U.S. adults last year, the Pew Research Center found that “just over half of U.S. adults (54%) say they at least sometimes get news from social media.” Home — Blog Portal — How to combat the spread of misinformation on social media Strategies for managing and preventing misinformation

Information spreads quickly, and misinformation spreads even faster. This is a challenge for people and communities, and for social media and communications teams across the public sector, too. We originally published a blog on this topic in August 2024, following disturbing cases of civil unrest across the UK. Those events highlighted the dangers of misinformation, causing confusion, panic, and anti-social behaviour. Now, with the changes announced by Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, there are growing concerns around how communicators will tackle combating the spread of misinformation and disinformation. Although the removal of fact-checkers is only in the US initially, the global nature of social media means inaccurate information will inevitably spread to UK audiences.

Furthermore, social media organizations need to provide corrections to misinformation and point out that information may be wrong or misleading. Second, the findings highlight the importance of media literacy education (Chen et al., 2022; Fendt et al., 2023). These media literacy programs should promote critical thinking skills and provide concrete strategies and techniques individuals can deploy for fact-checking and verifying information. Use these research-based strategies to ensure that truth prevails in your organization. In the spring of 2020, a dangerous threat was making its way around the globe. By March, it was being spread by tens of thousands of hosts per day.

Most of its victims, unfortunately, did not realize what they had encountered. Instead of taking precautions, many went on to become vectors themselves, passing it on and putting others at risk. What was this insidious force? It was misinformation. While misinformation, "fake news," and the "post-truth" era have been buzzwords for several years, the coronavirus pandemic has revealed just how harmful these sources of falsehood can become. After all, the virus and viral misinformation have a symbiotic relationship.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the World Health Organization, put it this way: "We’re not just fighting an epidemic; we’re fighting an infodemic." A recent study by Notre Dame faculty in the Center for Network and Data Science found that the outbreak of COVID-19 led to a stunning rise in news articles. In March, when news output on coronavirus peaked, 123,623 articles about the virus appeared in a single day. The research team discovered that less than a quarter (23.6%) of the articles published on the virus came from relatively unbiased sources. The sources that dominate the media landscape were those more likely to spread pseudoscience or even conspiracy theories. In today’s hyperconnected world, social media is more than just a place to share selfies and memes, it’s a primary source of news and information for millions of adults, teens, and even children.

But with this convenience comes a serious challenge: the rapid spread of misinformation. Whether intentional or accidental, misinformation on social platforms can distort public understanding, fuel cognitive biases, and influence decision-making in ways that are difficult to reverse. As students and educators explore this topic, it’s essential to understand not just the dangers, but also the data behind the influence. Research from Scientific American highlights a troubling trend: as the volume of information on social media increases, its quality tends to decrease. This phenomenon—known as information overload—makes it harder for users to critically evaluate what they see. With limited time and attention, people often rely on shortcuts, resharing content based on emotion or familiarity rather than accuracy.

This overload amplifies cognitive biases, making users more susceptible to false or misleading information. It’s a cycle that social media platforms are well aware of—and one that educators can help students break. To help students understand the mechanics of misinformation and the power of influencers, educators can guide them through hands-on data analysis and critical thinking exercises. The Pervasiveness of Misinformation in the Digital Age In today’s interconnected world, social media platforms have become primary sources of news for many. While these platforms offer unparalleled convenience in accessing and sharing information, they have also become breeding grounds for misinformation and disinformation.

The ease with which false narratives can spread poses a significant threat to democracy and fuels societal polarization. Understanding the difference between misinformation, which is unintentionally inaccurate, and disinformation, which is deliberately misleading, is crucial in combating this digital epidemic. The American Psychological Association highlights the human tendency to share information that aligns with personal beliefs, evokes strong emotions, or appears novel, regardless of its veracity. This inherent bias contributes to the rapid dissemination of false narratives. Navigating the Digital Minefield: Strategies for Identifying Misinformation To counter the proliferation of misinformation, individuals must adopt critical thinking skills and become discerning consumers of online content.

Dr. Joshua Scacco, director of the University of South Florida’s Center for Sustainable Democracy, advocates for "information skepticism." This approach encourages individuals to verify information from multiple sources before accepting it as truth, particularly if... Scacco emphasizes the importance of skepticism without succumbing to cynicism, maintaining a balanced approach to online information. This involves questioning the source of the information, its publication date, the author’s credibility, and the overall tone and context of the content. Critical Questions for Assessing Online Content First, the bad news.

No amount of finger-pointing is going to help convince someone who’s fallen into the disinformation trap that they’re wrong. Presenting facts and evidence to counter a lie doesn’t often work, either. Now, the good news: Once you've identified disinformation, there are evidence-based ways to protect yourself and the communities you belong to from disinformation. Using these tips, you can stop disinformation’s spread, minimize its damage, and respond to it effectively. When you encounter a piece of disinformation, the most important thing you can do is to stop it from spreading.

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Este artículo estará disponible en español en El Tiempo Latino. Misinformation is nothing new. It has, however, become ubiquitous and, in some cases, more difficult and time-consuming than ever to debunk. When we first started publishing in 2003 — which predated Facebook (2004), YouTube (2005) and Twitter (2006) — viral misinformation took the form of chain emails. Although they were a problem at ...

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And this falsehood-fraught environment is increasingly where people get their news. In a survey of U.S. adults last year, the Pew Research Center found that “just over half of U.S. adults (54%) say they at least sometimes get news from social media.” Home — Blog Portal — How to combat the spread of misinformation on social media Strategies for managing and preventing misinformation

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Information spreads quickly, and misinformation spreads even faster. This is a challenge for people and communities, and for social media and communications teams across the public sector, too. We originally published a blog on this topic in August 2024, following disturbing cases of civil unrest across the UK. Those events highlighted the dangers of misinformation, causing confusion, panic, and a...

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Furthermore, social media organizations need to provide corrections to misinformation and point out that information may be wrong or misleading. Second, the findings highlight the importance of media literacy education (Chen et al., 2022; Fendt et al., 2023). These media literacy programs should promote critical thinking skills and provide concrete strategies and techniques individuals can deploy ...

Most Of Its Victims, Unfortunately, Did Not Realize What They

Most of its victims, unfortunately, did not realize what they had encountered. Instead of taking precautions, many went on to become vectors themselves, passing it on and putting others at risk. What was this insidious force? It was misinformation. While misinformation, "fake news," and the "post-truth" era have been buzzwords for several years, the coronavirus pandemic has revealed just how harmf...