Where We Are
The role the library and information professionals play in reducing access to misinformation, disinformation and fake news in social media is more vital today than ever. ‘Misinformation’ is the spread of false information, even if it does not intend to do so purposefully, whereas ‘disinformation’ is the purposeful dissemination of information intended to cause political, cultural, or social advantage (Dictionary.com, 2021). The problem with social media is that it can often be an area people’s political opinions, biases, and philosophies are reinforced, acting as a kind of echo chamber (Sullivan, 2019, p.93).
False news is thriving. It is something that may have affected the results of the 2016 US election. More people read fake news than real news in the days before the same election, and individuals freely created fake news to influence political and social outcomes (Sullivan, 2019, p. 1147). The era of Web 2.0 has arrived, and information is no longer difficult to find. In our day-to-day lives, we are inundated with information from our mobiles, television screens, computers, iPads, social media and more (De Paor & Heravi, 2020, p. 2). This is a problem for information professionals, for suddenly it is our job to teach customers how to decern between real and fake. This places pressure on the profession, and in turn, the profession must react. If it refuses, there will be a society of ill-informed people, and one can only imagine the negative impact on the world.
The Problem
False information is problematic in the way that people are given sources that are not aware are false, as they come with imposter URL’s, and via corrupt ‘syndication’ (a reprinting of media in a new and false manner) (Evanson, & Sponsel, 2019, p. 241). The problem is the lack of social media literacy, and one’s ability to assess the validity of sources (Sullivan, 2019, p. 93). It is important people have the discernment, knowledge and skills to determine fake news from real, to critically examine web pages and be self-critical at what they consume (El Rayess et al, 2018, p. 157). Thus, information professionals have the job of teaching these skills, along with teachers and others in academia such as universities. Imposter URL’s, retweets and manipulated information are areas the public needs to know about, and libraries should be using social media to combat these issues. By using social media, librarians are using the form in a positive manner and building audience trust. By being proactive advocates of truthful, objective and reputable sources, information professionals can then deliver this knowledge via programs, teaching, and advertisements.
The Solution
It is a fact that there is better information to be consuming than that available on social media or other inconsistent sources (Buschman, 2018, p. 221) There need to be workshops for literacy discernment, and an increase in knowledge provided to the public on misinformation and disinformation (De Paor & Heravi, 2020, p. 7). One problem is that this method is not freely adopted by other industries, with scepticism of its success. The good news for libraries is that trust is still high from the patrons, meaning although many users have lost trust in social media news sites, they still value and believe in the library’s content (De Paor & Heravi, 2020, p. 9). As a result, librarians should feel proud that their roles are some of the most valuable in the world, and if there has ever been a question as to the validity of the modern-day librarian, this should put a halt to those doubts.
The Irony
One irony is that, in the past, societies that were aligned under false doctrines (think North Korea, China), actually found unity as a population, and so the potential of civil uprising was minimised. Thus, the fake news created harmony in these countries (Valenzuela et al., 2019, p.816). Conversely, in some democratic societies, where people were given access to valid and honest news sources and were free to consume this, uprisings and conflict erupted (Valenzuela et al., 2019, p.816). With this in mind, information professionals should always look at the broader effects of their choices. I am not suggesting censorship of honest information, or the dissemination of false news, but perhaps, as information professionals, it is good to know that media, false or otherwise, can impact our society one way or another.
Building Trust
Libraries must be seen as trusting places where one can access information, a place that sources media from reputable sources such as universities, schools, courts and journalism (Buschman, 2018, p. 221). In fact, the American Library Association said that “access to accurate information, not censorship, is the best way to counter disinformation and media manipulation” (De Paor & Heravi, 2020, p. 1148)
Media and information literacy needs to move past teaching the avoidance of plagiarism, how to structure texts, and referencing. We need to teach the skill of critically evaluating texts and searching for bias in language (El Rayess et al, 2018, p. 157). One major solution to the misinformation plague is to provide good honest information from reputable sources, and libraries are best placed here (Sullivan, 2019, p. 1148).
Hope
Because of this information waterfall, users are now selecting what information to consume and will do so according to their philosophical, social, and spiritual values (De Paor & Heravi, 2020, p. 2). The tried and tested approach of combating misinformation via a checklist of specific options is becoming dated in a world inundated with information sources. A more holistic and concept-driven approach is needed to combat the flood of fake news. An approach that teaches people how – despite the platform, format, or channel – to critically assess the strength of a source, is called for (Faix & Fyn, 2020, p. 506). Librarians need to run courses that have students scrutinize media channels, to build critical evaluation skills in an environment teachers or librarians can assist (Evanson, & Sponsel, 2019, p. 242). One program to assist in the nature of fake news is Verifi2, a software program with AI intelligence, allowing a user to be alerted if a sight poses a threat or appears suspicious (Shu et al., 2020, p.58). With these solutions in mind, information professionals can walk confidently forwards into a future where information is abundant on social media.
References
Buschman, J. (2018). Good news, bad news, and fake news. Emerald Publishing Limited, 75,(1), 213-228. DOI: 10.1108/JD-05-2018-0074
De Paor, S., & Heravi, B. (2020). Information literacy and fake news: How the field of librarianship can help combat the epidemic of fake news. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 46(5), 102-218. DOI: 10.1016/j.acalib.2020.102218
Dictionary.com. (2021). Misinformation” vs. “Disinformation”: Get Informed On The Difference. Accessed 24.5.2021 https://www.dictionary.com/e/misinformation-vs-disinformation-get-informed-on-the-difference/
Chebl, C., El Rayess, M., Hage, R., & Mhanna, J. (2018). Fake news judgement: The case of undergraduate students at Notre Dame University-Louaize, Lebanon. Reference Services Review, 46(1), 146-149. DOI: 10.1108/RSR-07-2017-0027
Evanson, C., & Sponsel, J. (2019). From syndication to misinformation: how undergraduate students engage with and evaluate digital news. Communications in Information Literacy, 13(2), 228-250. DOI:10.15760/comminfolit.2019.13.2.6
Faix, A., & Fyn, A. (2020). Framing fake news: Misinformation and the ACRL framework. Johns Hopkins University Press, 20(3), 495-508. DOI: 10.1353/pla.2020.0027
Lee, D., Liu, H., Shu, K., & Wang, S. (2020). Disinformation, misinformation, and fake news in social media: Emerging research challenges and opportunities. Springer International Publishing
Sullivan, M. (2019). Leveraging library trust to combat misinformation on social media. Library & Information Science Research, 41(1), 2-10. DOI: 10.1016/j.lisr.2019.02.004
Sullivan, M. (2019). Libraries and fake news: what’s the problem? what’s the plan? Communications in Information Literacy, 13(1), 91-113. DOI: 10.15760/comminfolit.2019.13.1.7
Sullivan, M. (2019). Why librarians can’t fight fake news. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 51(4), 1146-1156. DOI: 10.1177/0961000618764258
Halpern, D., Katz, J., Miranda, J., & Valenzuela, S. (2019). The Paradox of participation versus misinformation: social media, political engagement, and the spread of misinformation. Digital Journalism, 7(6), 802-823. DOI: 10.1080/21670811.2019.1623701
