Social media reliability

More and more people across the world have taken to using social media as a source of information in recent times. A sizable section of people have even stopped subscribing to newspapers and watching TV news channels with the explanation that news travels faster through social media. Some even consider that social media platforms transmit more news and information in comparison to newspapers and TV news channels, and that a lot of information which is not available through newspapers and TV news channels comes through social media. The reality, however, is that while there is a fundamental difference between news and information, information available through social media is often unreliable. What is also important to note is that information transmitted through social media can be extremely harmful for both individuals and society because it can spread misinformation, rumours, and fake news rapidly and widely, sometimes faster than factual information. Studies carried out by Harvard, as well as articles released by Harvard affiliates and related institutions, have confirmed that information from social media is often unreliable. This is because of algorithms that prioritise engagement over accuracy, in the process creating filter bubbles and spreading misinformation. Numerous studies from the University of Oxford’s Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism and the Oxford Internet Institute (OII) have also pointed out that social media information is often unreliable due to the rapid spread of misinformation, manipulation, and general public scepticism. Groups with vested interests are found to have used social media for spreading false information (misinformation) or dishing out deliberately fabricated content which is intended to deceive and thus carry out a disinformation campaign. It is also important to note that unlike traditional news outlets, which typically have editors and fact-checkers before releasing any kind of information as news, social media platforms allow users to freely publish or share content instantly without an editorial process, thus making it easy for unverified claims to be widely shared. Since there is no system of engaging professional gatekeepers to check and process information, anyone can publish or share content on social media, with the least respect for accuracy, social relevance, personal liberty and rights. With the advancement of technology, it has also become easier and possible to create highly convincing manipulated images, audio, and videos (deepfakes), which cannot be easily distinguished from genuine content, thus making authenticating visual information challenging. Experts have also found out through various studies that social media users often follow accounts and groups which are in line with their existing beliefs. This caused what has been called an “echo chamber effect”, which only helps reinforce false narratives and limit exposure to verifiable, alternative viewpoints.