It’s a notion and phrase that we are all becoming quite familiar with, regardless of our chosen profession, this idea of Fake News or Misinformation that can be seen flooding our feeds on social media sites. While we know that misinformation is inherently just ‘incorrect’ information, the growth of social media has seen this misinformation spread further and quicker than the attempts to correct it (Tully et al., 2020). And while these correction attempts are usually successful, it can be argued that the damage is already done, the misinformation has been seen and passed on through various network connections until it is taken as fact. As it has been said, you can only hear a rumour (or misinformation) so many times before you start to believe it. This is known as an echo chamber.
Reading many an article about both misinformation and fake news has led me to reflect on what I share and post on my social media accounts. I now find myself asking, is this news really true? Is it coming from a source I trust? Has this source been wrong before? And also, am I adding to the credence that what I’m sharing is correct? But how do I evaluate what I am sharing to ensure that it is both credible and reliable? Sterrett et al. (2019) suggest that “people use different approaches to process information in different contexts and situations” (p 785). This may include information from a trusted news medium, organisation or journalist, by checking who had originally shared the information, and whether the information has been shared by a person who shares the same beliefs, such as a celebrity or an authority figure (Sterrett et al., 2019).
The rise of social media has meant that news and information is now more accessible, and the potential for misinformation or fake news has exponentially increased, creating vast echo chambers that have begun to reflect only what people are wanting to hear. In recent times due to the pandemic, I find myself relying more on social media to keep me updated and informed, and as such know that I need to be more aware of where I source my information and to be more discerning in what I share with my network.
Sterrett, D., Malato, D., Benz, J., Kantor, L., Thompson, T., Rosenstiel, T., Sondermann, J. & Loker, K. (2019). Who shared it?: Deciding what news to trust on social media. Digital Journalism, 7(6), 783-801. https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2019.1623707
Tully, M., Kraga, E. & Bode, L. (2020). Designing and testing news literacy messages for social media. Mass Communication and Society, 23(1), 22-46. https://doi.org/10.1080/15205436.2019.1604970