If you use Twitter, this skill will definitely come in handy. Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology conducted a study on the credibility level of published tweets. It turns out that it is not by chance that some posts gain greater popularity than others. What does it depend on?
How often have you come across the content of a controversial tweet that after a short time turned out to be a lie? Probably many times. Selecting content is a very valuable skill in modern times.
According to research by scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, fake news spreads much faster on Twitter than true news. Interestingly, it is not bots at all, but ordinary people who are responsible for the spreading disinformation on the social media platform. Fake News was hailed as the word of the year 2017.
Study of tweet quality
Sinan Aral, Soroush Vosoughi and Deb Roy from MIT analyzed as many as 126,000 posts shared on Twitter, which were replicated nearly 4.5 million times by about 3 million users of the service. Data from 2006 to 2017 was used.
The posts found were selected, meaning classified as true or false. To maintain objectivity, six independent organizations supported the researchers.
Is Twitter still a credible source of information?
The results may be surprising to some, because according to the analysis it was shown that false information was 70 percent more likely to be retweeted than true information, and moreover true news needed six times more time to reach 1,500 Twitter users. Interestingly, true news rarely reached more than 1,000 people, while at the same time 1 percent of the most popular false information usually reached from 1,000 to 100,000 recipients.
False content with the greatest popularity
The mechanism of spreading false content
The most frequently shared fake news was that with political content, as well as unconfirmed information about the death of famous people. Among others, former Pope Benedict XVI was falsely reported dead.
Psychological causes of disinformation
MIT researchers claim that it is primarily human psychology that is responsible for this state of affairs. People are mainly interested in shocking, controversial content that triggers extreme emotions in them.
False news is more original, and people share such information more often, and such people are perceived as having greater knowledge - summarized Sinan Aral.
Although scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology used software that automatically removes bots, it turned out that without them fake news spread just as quickly on Twitter and among a relatively similar number of users.
How do social media fight Fake News?
What do social media say about it?
Social Media are increasingly trying to implement selection of information flowing into the network. Facebook and Google employ thousands of people to read and then verify their compliance with the facts. Governments urge Facebook and Google to develop their cooperation with local watchdogs, foundations and journalistic think tanks. There are countries where a special button has even been introduced, thanks to which an ordinary user can report fake news. But unfortunately, not everyone is able to properly select massively shared content, so it is worth being vigilant and remembering a few important rules
How to spot Fake News?
1. It is worth maintaining a skeptical attitude toward headlines.
2. Before you believe something, check the URL of the website.
3. Verify the sources of information.
4. Pay attention to unusual website formats.
5. Look closely at the published photos.
6. Check the publication dates of the content.
7. Trace the evidence confirming the reasons for the published materials.
8. Make sure that the content is not a form of joke or has a satirical character
Summary
Research by MIT scientists shows that false information on Twitter gains popularity much faster than true information – it is 70 percent more likely to be retweeted and reaches a wider audience. Importantly, people are mainly responsible for spreading fake news, not bots, and the key role is played by psychology and the tendency to share shocking content.
The most frequently shared are unconfirmed political reports and information about the death of famous people, such as former Pope Benedict XVI. Social platforms, including Facebook and Google, employ thousands of verifiers, but an effective fight against disinformation also requires the vigilance of users themselves.
