The proliferation of fake news this past election cycle is alarming. This is especially the case on Facebook, where over half of the adult population in America has an account and millions of these individuals use social media to get their news.
A recent BuzzFeed analysis reported on the accuracy of news stories on Facebook. It found that 19 percent of posts from hyper-partisan left-wing pages were mostly or partially false and 38 percent of posts from hyper-partisan right-wing pages were mostly or partially false. However, it also found that only 0.7 percent of mainstream media posts were partially false. With so many fake news stories on Facebook, we need to be cautious about everything we read on our “news” feeds.
It’s easy to believe that almost everything we see on Facebook is correct. After all, we trust our friends and we only see content on Facebook that our “friends” post or share. Therefore, we can be led to believe that what we see and read is credible, when it is in fact blatantly false.
Furthermore, there are also psychological processes that are happening here, such as confirmation bias. If we see a story we agree with, we are more likely to believe that it is true (regardless of whether it actually is) because it reinforces an already existing belief that we hold. It confirms our bias.
Another psychological process at play here is what is known as the dynamic social impact theory. This theory explains that individuals influence and are also influenced by the ideas of people with whom they regularly interact. This can lead to like-minded people clustering together in groups. Like-minded people being in a group is not inherently a bad thing. However, it can lead to people getting stuck in echo chambers where they never hear the other side to a story and fail to understand real-world debates.
This very process is going on right now in our society. We are losing sight of who we disagree with and are becoming extremely polarized. More and more Americans seem to be drifting apart from each other. Political parties can play a role in this by developing an almost cult-like or religious following. Democrats and Republicans seem to think they need to be fighting each other when what they should really be doing is working together to move our country forward.
Although we may like to think that everything on Facebook is true, it simply is not. Over this past summer, a co-worker of mine saw a post on his newsfeed advertising a 60-pack of Coors Light that was only going to be sold in Wisconsin. The post explained that “no other citizens drink beer like Wisconsin’s,” and that in any other state “it would end up being on the shelf too long to be practical.” The story then tries to gain credibility by explaining how 12 of America’s top 20 drunkest cities were in Wisconsin, which is true and based on a 24/7 Wall St. study. However, the Coors Light story was false and officially debunked about a week after it came out.
Although a 60-pack of beer only sold in Wisconsin might seem outrageous to some, to others it could be totally possible. It is no secret that Wisconsinites drink a lot of beer, and my co-worker who saw the initial post is a big partier. The story confirmed his bias about Wisconsin’s alcohol consumption and appeared credible by bringing in outside information from 24/7 Wall St. to support its argument.
He also would have seen it shared from a friend who seems like a trustworthy source. However, thinking back to dynamic social impact theory, he and his friend are like-minded individuals who were only exposed to one side of this story. They only saw it from the side that confirmed Wisconsin drinks a lot, not from the side of the story that considers how anyone could carry that home or fit it in a fridge. And besides, if someone wants that much beer they should just get a quarter barrel or a keg.
To combat the fake news problem, we need to diversify our sources of information. For example, The Daily Cardinal is a great way to stay up to date on things happening around campus. Organizations or apps like USA Today, Google News, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal are all credible sources with wide-ranging coverage and good journalism. These are all options to consume news other than social media sites.
No source is without a bias or is completely error-free. However, news on Facebook is much more likely to contain extremely biased or false information. By installing one or two free news apps, we can remain up-to-date on world events, support good journalism and not contribute to the fake news problem.
Thomas is a senior majoring in history and psychology. Did you see fake news stories on your Facebook news feed this election cycle? How do you think we should combat this misinformation? Let us know at opinion@dailycardinal.com
