How can social media managers and CEOs regulate the content to which young and influenceable audiences are exposed in order to prevent the spread of denigrating misinformation?
Content regulation through algorithms (Cambridge Analytica)
Influence and impact of misinformation and fake news in young audiences.
Easy and fast access to content.
Algorithms: An algorithm for social media is a collection of guidelines and indicators that automatically classifies material on a social network according to how probable it is for each particular social media user to like and engage with it.
Data Collection: Any sort of information that may be obtained through social media is considered social media data. Generally speaking, this refers to social media metrics and demographic data that is gathered via analytics software on social sites.
Reliability: Social media may and may not be a trustworthy information source. Social media sites do not have strict regulations regarding false information, making it simple and readily accessible for anybody to publish and for many more individuals to read the material that has been made public.
Influence: The capacity of an individual to influence the opinions of others in a social online community. An individual's attraction to businesses or other people who wish to spread an idea or sell a product increases with their level of influence.
Fake news: False or misleading information that is reported as news. A common goal of fake news is to harm someone or something's reputation or to profit through advertising.
Hate speech: a multitude of ways to express oneself that support, encourage, legitimize, or call for hatred, violence, or prejudice against an individual or group of individuals, promoting denigrating ideas. It poses serious risks to the rule of law, the preservation of human rights, and the fabric of a democratic society.
Credibility: The degree to which a reader feels that the information offered in social media is trustworthy, accurate, impartial, and comprehensive. The level of one's trust in other network users.
Political Use: By using these data to construct targeted Facebook advertising and social media efforts, Cambridge Analytica was able to influence American voters. The national debate about social media's influence on politics has taken on a striking new hue as a result of this revelation. Campaigns, political propagandists, and even Russian operatives were using targeted digital advertisements and communications to stir discontent and rifts among American voters. Cambridge Analytica went a step further by tricking Facebook users into endorsing Donald Trump by exploiting very sensitive personal information that was illegally obtained from them.
Manipulation: Collection of data in social media through interaction with content, messages, time line, among other social media features. This data is then manipulated to achieve economical benefits through the selling of the recollected data useful to companies to optimize development and influences in social media.
Advertising: Typically, algorithms utilize the data gathered to create targeted advertisements depending on the user's indicated interests. This raises the likelihood that users will interact with the advertising services, generating more revenue for the advertising provider and the original maker.
Fighting Misinformation:Algorithms are used to optimize the material that is shown to users depending on their interactions and interests. Using these algorithms, consumers may be informed and given access to a variety of information by presenting them with media from trustworthy sources that fact-check the content they have engaged with.
Fast Access: Social media is very accessible on desktops and mobile devices. This translates to having access to shared knowledge, entertainment, and quick communication in the palm of your hand. Due to the quick availability, there is a very high media consumption rate, which makes it simpler to be exposed to misleading information and degrading notions.
Easy access: People may communicate ideas, information, and even obscene or humorous images and videos. On social media, nobody is compelled to read anything because each user has complete discretion over what they see. Young people can easily and unrestrictedly access this stuff. Social media websites are designed to be highly user friendly. Most websites require very little internet experience since they are so simple to use. In fact, they provide a more effective means of meeting new individuals than email and message boards on the internet.
Trustful: Trust demonstrates who we can rely on to share information with and accept information from without further verification. Due to social media usage being so standardized and commonplace among many individuals, This has led to a large number of people believing and trusting what they see on social media, especially when it comes from well-known individuals like influencers, politicians, and family members.
Close Relations: Social media enables interaction with family members and the dissemination of material. News spreads more quickly when people share it with their friends and relatives. Additionally, since this information is coming from a family member, it is simpler to accept them since there is a propensity to believe what is nearest to us. This happens frequently on platforms like "WhatsApp" because of chains that disseminate false information.
Politics: Social media has had an impact on young adults' political beliefs and participation in social movements during the past few years. The increased usage of social media encourages greater dialogue among young individuals, including discussions about politics.Youngsters may be influenced to follow popular trends they see on these websites, particularly political tendencies. Young people's political growth can often take place via social media. It offers a variety of channels for media production and consumption, giving various young people the chance to interact with social and political concerns.
Popular Figures: Influencers are those who have established a reputation for being educated via their dedication and hard work. The engaged and trustworthy network of these influencers' followers is significant. Because these followers are so easily persuaded and influenced to believe anything these influencers may, who are the significant individuals who can be found on these websites, say, it opens up more opportunities for false information to spread.
Fast Spread: Fake news ususally tend to spread even faster than normal news. Surprisingly, this is not caused by bots, but by real people that tend to share fake news. These is due to the novelty that these news have in relation to truthful news, false information is usually more appealing and "new" so the users are more likely to share something that they've never seen.
Diferenciation: In order to affect people's views of reality, fake news have been used to sway politics and advance commercial interests. But it has also evolved into a strategy for igniting and escalating social conflict. People's mistrust of the media and their inability to diferentiate between real and fake news has grown as a result of stories that are false and purposefully mislead readers. Sometimes, this suspicion leads to rudeness, protests over made-up tragedies, or even violence.
Disctintion:Making a distinction between freedom of speech and hate speech is necessary to control damaging communication in online environments. Both the major international human rights treaties and the constitutions of the majority of nations guarantee people's right to free expression. It is common knowledge that many nations do not effectively defend freedom of expression in spite of its universal protection. One risk of controlling hate speech online is that it may be used as an excuse by oppressive governments to further restrict the rights of their people.
Popularized (trends): Due to certain creators in many platforms, many trendshave emerged and they spread comments regarding hate speech. Many videos with "jokes" and comments against minorities are published and turned viral, reaching young audiences that are very influenceable and suceptible to follow these tendencies, using these hate speech against others and developing genuine hateful thoughts towards these groups. The excuse all of the creators that make this content is that it is only with the purpose of "humor" and not realizing the damage they are doing on young people that consume the content.