Every fact we stumble across on social media has to be taken with a pinch of salt, so that's why we must fact check it. You see, whether it's COVID-19, climate change or migration — fake news spreads six times faster on social media than facts. Those pieces of disinformation, known as fake news, are harmful. They are partially or often completely false and deliberately disseminated to influence political views or generate as many clicks as possible.
The danger of fake news is the fact that to an untrained eye, the average internet user, it’s very difficult if not impossible to separate it from credible information. To find out how exactly we can separate true facts from false information, Bored Panda spoke with Daniel Markuson, the cybersecurity expert at NordVPN, who shared some very useful tips and insights.
While there is no foolproof method to separate truth from misinformation, a general rule of thumb is to check the source’s credibility, Daniel said. “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.
When it comes to determining if the news source is credible, Daniel said that sometimes 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.”
When asked about the reasons why fake news has become so widespread, the cybersecurity expert said that it’s “due to factors that concern both the content of the messages and the technological foundation of platforms on which the news is proliferated.”
“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,” Daniel concluded.
