It’s no secret that all facts we find on social media have to be taken carefully. You see, with so much false information and fake news spread around online, it becomes increasingly difficult to tell facts from fiction. But in order to find out how to do just that, we spoke with Daniel Markuson, the cybersecurity expert at NordVPN, a while ago. He happily shared some insights into the topic, and they may help to train your eye to make sure you get legit information from the internet.
Daniel explained that there is no foolproof method to separate truth from misinformation. However, a general rule of thumb is to check the source’s credibility. “This particularly applies to social media platforms because they are optimized to increase engagement and lack appropriate gatekeeping features that filter out misinformation.”
“It is also important to weigh the claims against other sources. If a publication makes monumental claims that are exclusive to that platform, do not take them at face value,” he added.
In order to determine, you may want to look for some red flags. Daniel argues that unreliable news sources impersonate well-known ones by misspelling their names in the URL. “Similarly, they might use unconventional domain extensions instead of the usual '.com' or '.org.' In general, make sure that your news comes from established, well-known sources. These types of outlets get information directly from primary sources and must uphold their reputation.”
If you’re still not sure, Daniel suggests looking into the author, researching them, and making sure their credibility is up to par. “It is also important to weigh our own perception and not let our biases skew our understanding of events. Seek out differing opinions and try not to associate facts with ideological dogma.”
Fake news has become so widespread due to factors that concern both the content of the messages and the technological foundation of platforms on which the news is proliferated, Daniel told us previously. He explained: “Fake news is usually related to current affairs and makes remarkable, emotion-inducing claims. This, combined with the fact that social media platforms collect data on what kind of posts users spend the most time on and feed them content with similar characteristics, provides the perfect conditions for the spread of misinformation.”
