It’s human nature to share anything we find fascinating with people we know who’d like that information. With the prevalence of social media, it’s become even easier to share anything we find. Unfortunately, this leads to the proliferation of misinformation and disinformation, even after it’s been debunked. WhatsApp groups are a notorious venue for such posts to spread. With the ease of forwarding messages these days, it’s easy for people to spread anything they find fascinating whether it’s factual or not.
What’s so harmful about it?
It’s easy to dismiss concerns about messages shared in group chats and Facebook pages as casual conversations. Why should a meme about a politician misrepresenting a few facts be a big deal? When aunties share healthy diet plans to help prevent cancer, what’s the harm? The harm is in giving people false information. Lies don’t prevent cancer. Scientifically proven information is more important if your goal is to prevent illness.
People will share satirical sites that align with their biases as proof of something they believe. According to France24, satire and parody have morphed into misinformation because people can’t be bothered to do due diligence. Sometimes, it’s a harmless prank. A Chinese news organisation believed The Onion when they listed North Korea’s Kim Jong Un as the sexiest man alive.
However, misinformation treads into harm when people spread dangerous information. One common lie is a message from a “Dr” Gupta who claims that people only die from cancer due to carelessness. Not only is this misleading, it increases the risk of cancer deaths. It claims that cancer can be “starved” by removing sugar intake, drinking hot water with lemon, and drinking coconut daily. Cancer isn’t a one-size-fits-all disease. Some habits increase the risk of cancer, such as smoking and eating ultra-processed foods. Some habits reduce the risk of cancer, such as eating a balanced diet and exercising at least 150 minutes a week. But giving specific steps like “drink coconut oil” doesn’t help prevent cancer. Factly, found that there is no scientific evidence that such a regimen can prevent cancer. Having a sugar-free diet increases the risk of lethargy because your body lacks the energy it needs to perform.
The danger of disinformation
Another way disinformation is dangerous is by inciting violence. Amnesty International published a report in 2022 showing how Facebook’s algorithm pushed anti-Rohingya posts in Myanmar. The massacre of 2017 led to the deaths and displacement of thousands of Rohingya. They are a predominantly Muslim group that lives in the northern state of Rakhine. 700,000 people were forced to flee after the Myanmar military started systematically targeting them. Buddhist nationalist groups and supporters of the Myanmar military flooded Facebook groups with anti-Rohingya content calling them “invaders” and claiming there would be a “Muslim takeover”. The posts called Muslim human rights defenders traitors, and led to more inflammatory posts against Rohingya.
What can be done about it?
Social media platforms have taken marginal steps to make it easier for users to identify something that may be misinformation. For example, on WhatsApp, a message that has been forwarded multiple times has a special designation. When you see such a message containing important information, it’s important to confirm if it’s misinformation or disinformation. Upon examining, if the message has been debunked, be sure to stop the spread of false information and share the debunking. But there are more steps you can take to reduce the spread of misinformation in group chats.
1. Seek correct information
When a news item or post has been debunked or identified as satire, ensure you share the correction. Spreading the original false claim without adding the correction causes harm. Don’t believe everything you get from bloggers, influencers, celebrities, or people who are just loud online. Consider using getting information from verifiable sources such as independent media houses or fact-checkers. For instance, websites like Snopes, PesaCheck, and AFP Fact Check (Agence France-Presse) fact-check information spreading online.
2. Report misinformation and disinformation
Social media sites don’t do enough to curb the spread of falsities. However, if you encounter false information, amplify any commenters who have shared corrections. Twitter, for instance, has community notes that are used to correct misinformation. It’s not a perfect tool as bad players can try to overrun a factual article they don’t like with their propaganda. The community note stays up the more people rate it helpful. It would require more people to rate it unhelpful for it to be taken down. In addition, reporting false and harmful information can also have the posts removed by moderators. Even though it seems pointless, try to report any false information you encounter.
3. Use evidence-based corrections rather than arguments
If your uncle shares a blatantly false article, don’t call him out or insult him. Don’t make disparaging remarks against such group members. Ad hominem attacks only lead to a cycle of vitriol and anger. Counter the false information with proven facts. For example, if your sister has taken on a TikTok trend that claims to add a pinch of salt to your tongue before drinking water increases hydration, counter with a scientific article that proves it’s false. Websites ending in .gov, .edu, or .org are more trustworthy. Using videos by board-certified medical doctors can also help.
4. Encourage better fact-checking
If you’re the only one in your group chat that seems interested in fact-checking, you can encourage other members to do the same. Whenever an image is shared with suspicious information, engage with the other group members to ask them where they got the information from. Once they share, ask them why they thought this was important information to spread. When they answer, find proven information about the subject and show them how what they spread was misinformation. Encourage them to use trustworthy sources rather than relying on tabloids or failing to understand parody news sources.
5. Remember you can only fact-check facts not opinions
It’s easy to misconstrue opinions for facts, especially if you believe your opinions are based on facts. However, you can’t fact-check an opinion. When you tell someone their opinion is wrong, you’re inviting argument, not discourse. There are meaningful ways to prevent the spread of bigotry if someone is sharing harmful opinions but that isn’t fact-checking. Engaging in meaningful dialogue to show them that their opinion is harmful requires different approaches. However, when someone is sharing false information about something verifiable, you can counter it with evidence. For example, if your friend shares the disinformation that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio are harming pets, you can share the articles and testimonials countering these lies. But if your friend is buying into the rhetoric that immigration is a bad thing, you can’t fact-check them into abandoning their bigotry. Relationships: How To Talk To People You Disagree With
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