INF206

Blog 1: Social Media and Society

Fact-Checking the Crisis: COVID-19, Infodemics, and the Platformization of Truth

15 Nov 2021

By Cotter, K., DeCook, J. R., & Kanthawala, S.

This article told us that during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, various officials point out that the critical threat of false information. Author would use three major social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to discuss and analyses misinformation and disinformation. Infodemics and Information pollution were found in these social media platforms. There have many reasons in this article mentioned such as polarization, populism and fragmentation. In this situation, the three social media platforms use fact-checking to handle information pollution. They use artificial intelligence (AI) and input human resource to analysis and censorship all information in their platforms especially some political topic.Warning Labels is one of method to prevent misinformation and disinformation. They hope that can remind user and give choice to them how to make decision. The author opinion is these social media platforms did not prevent misinformation and disinformation arisen in online setting. They just told us that this information may not true, if you want to access these information, we have not responsibility for this.

In this information age, we can access a wide range of information via online, according to our interests and need to fulfil our information needs. This is a fact that for everyone because we already do that. And then we are to access information via different social media also be our mutual habit. Why we are seldom considered about is that information true? We can through Cotter article to browse different point of view to analyze and know more the Phenomenon of social media and society. I don’t agree the author point, indeed fact-checking is vital important proceeding but free speech also cannot be ignored. Everyone have right to access various information. What rule and criteria we can follow to comment what is correct and wrong. We cannot make sure that the three social media platforms staff of duty for censorship has absolute objective view. The information user has right to access and make decision what is true. For example, new coronavirus cluster at South Korean church which used saltwater spray to fight Covid-19 can found YouTube during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic (South China Morning Post, 2020). User can learn from this this case, fact-checking is vital important proceeding. We can access too much information via online, everyone must be learning how to use and analyses information.

Back to INF206 Social Networking for Information Professionals

References

South China Morning Post. (2020, March 17). New coronavirus cluster at South Korean church which used saltwater spray to fight Covid-19 [Video].

YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14rvNZWvGEY