Social Media and Misinformation
Since libraries had adopted web 2.0 technologies to establish library 2.0 services model, it has transitioned the way libraries providing their services and library clients can access resources and library services without physically going to the library. Also, the introduction of the library 2.0 service model has structurally changed the way the library delivering its services to the patrons, as it refers to the creation of a user-centred environment that helps people to learn, fulfilling their needs in information access and encouraging them to both create and share content (Godwin & Parker, 2012, pp. 3-4).
To effectively deliver library services that are providing convenient information access, some web 2.0 technologies, such as social media and the World Wide Web, has been used by libraries to achieve the library 2.0 service model. For example, the library is now frequently using social media platform, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, as the primary communication tools to interact with their clients to promote library resources and services (AlAwadhi & Al-Daihani, 2019).
As social media has been selected by the library as the main communication tools to interact with library clients, a list of social media platforms have been used by the library to enhance the overall client experience by offering a platform which client can easily access to library-related information and notification at anytime and anywhere. It also provides the library clients with an alternative way to approach the library regarding access to the latest library services, promoting the new fiction books and library resources. For example, the client can access the library’s Facebook page to view information that is related to the library events, updates relate to library services and collections. Other than promoting the library’s resource and services, it also acts as a virtual platform allowing the clients to interact with the librarian by leaving a sentence of comment in the comment section of each post created by the library, as library social media enable two ways communication between librarians and clients (Fernandez, 2009).
From implementing social media and Library 2.0 related technologies into library operation, the library had received a revolutionary change in its service delivery model, which includes the way service being delivered to the clients. Before Library 2.0 were implemented, library client can only access library material, information and services inside the library, but when social media and World Wide Web technologies were implemented, library clients can access library collection and services remotely through the internet, such as managing library loans and access to library resources and allowing clients to access information regarding the latest library updates about the change in collections and services. For example, Williams (2020) stated that ”academic libraries use social media to transmit information connect with patrons by using Web 2.0 tools to offer traditional services in an innovative manner”.
As the implementation of Library 2.0 service model related technologies can improve the library service delivery standard and enhancing the overall client experience, the overall quality of information being received by the library clients can also be affected by the misleading information which has been disseminating through social media, as fake news becomes one of the serious issues which social media need to handle.
According to the textbook “Information literacy and libraries in the age of fake news”, Agosto (2018) had stated fake news are “false or misleading stories that are masterfully manipulated to look like a credible journalistic report”, which explain fake news as the information which isn’t created based on the fact and it was created by people to fulfil their specific purposes. For example, during the 2016 US presidential campaign, a large volume of uncertified information and rumours regarding both political parties and their presidential candidates had been fabricated and being disseminated through both social media and news, subsequently affecting people’s judgement and decision as users are having trouble in understanding the source of the information and determine which information they can trust or not to trust (Agosto, 2018, p. 3). Also, social media can help in speeding up the spreading of false information as it can engage with lots of users at the same time, for example, Agosto (2018) state “a social media post with the headline ‘Pope Francis Shocks World, Endorses Trump for President’ had received 960,000 engagements on Facebook during the 2016 US presidential campaign.”
As for the library, the existence of misinformation has become a concern which library need to look into to provide high quality information resources for its client to access, especially when the library is playing a critical role in providing resources to support the community’s need. But there’s one thing that the library needs to consider when handling with misinformation issue is that library needs to practice the concept of intellectual freedom, which include providing library clients with free access to information from all points of view and expressions of ideas without restriction (Agosto, 2018, p. 66), such as As the library needs to remain neutral over what type of information library clients can access from either the library collection or the library’s social media platform, therefore, librarian cannot apply access restriction over a piece of information which were determined as misinformation.
To resolve the misinformation issue, the library can provide some training session to library staff and the clients to enhance their understanding of misunderstanding and how they can identify whether the information they are accessing is misinformation. For example, library can teach the staff and clients the skills to become a critical thinker, as the most commonly suggested solution for the fake news problem is more critical thinking (Agosto, 2018, p. 81), which can assist them in searching, understanding and evaluating information to ensure library staff and clients can easily identify whether the information they provide or receive from either the library social media or website is clarified information.
References
Agosto, D. E. (2018). Information literacy and libraries in the age of fake news. Libraries Unlimited, an imprint of ABC-CLIO-LLC.
AlAwadhi, S., & Al-Daihani, S. M. (2019). Marketing academic library information services using social media. Library management, 40(3/4), 228-239. https://doi.org/10.1108/LM-12-2017-0132
Fernandez, J. (2009). A SWOT Analysis for Social Media in Libraries. Online (Weston, Conn.), 33(5), 35-37.
Godwin, P., & Parker, J. (2012). Information literacy beyond Library 2.0. Facet.
Williams, M. L. (2020). The adoption of Web 2.0 technologies in academic libraries: A comparative exploration. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 52(1), 137-149. https://doi.org/10.1177/0961000618788725