As the use of social media grows more than ever, this creates an abundance of new information showing up on social media feeds. Many students have probably seen quite a few information-filled posts that have been reshared on Instagram stories or tweeted out to one another, but checking sources can be valuable.
According to ABC News, one must remember these five questions before resharing a piece of informational content:
“Is this the original account, article, or piece of content?”
“Who shared or created the content?”
“When was this created?”
“What type of account is sharing this?”
“Why was this shared?”
Using these questions can help stop spreading disinformation fires on social media.
Many sophisticated fact-checking tools have become available online for free, but according to Forbes, the most reliable way to identify misinformation would be by doing background checks oneself. It remains important to be able to use personal judgment when resharing a post, and not just following the rest of the crowd. When resharing a post, be sure to have a passion for the topic and awareness of its level of importance.
Misinformation on social media can cause major disruption in people's lives. For example, in Wisconsin it has been rumored that poll workers handed out Sharpies to Trump supporters to invalidate their ballots. This caused a major disruption among voters, however, while officials later proved that some did in fact use Sharpies to mark ballots, but they did not pertain to one specific party, and it was later decided that the ballots marked with Sharpies would still be counted.
Today’s increasingly connected and technologically advanced world makes it harder to identify the truth and avoid fake news. Social media plays a huge role in teens’ decisions, so be sure to always take a closer look before resharing the information.
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