The early years of the Internet placed a lot of emphasis on increasing transparency of information through various non-conventional news sources like social media platforms, which would, in turn, reduce individual dependence on only the traditional news channels as credible sources.
Global studies are indicative of social media as being an increasingly common repository of news for the general public, with more than 50 percent of American adults consuming news on such platforms. There appears to be a decline in TV viewership globally, with more metro dwellers relying upon OTT platforms for media entertainment and social media and news apps for news updates. Thus, the traditional news channels are losing popularity, at least amidst young adults from metro areas.
Due to the fact that post-millennials have always been surrounded by mobile devices, the Internet, and social media, most of the youth are, in fact, shifting their focus away from the more established platforms like Facebook and Twitter to the more modern and visually appealing applications like Instagram, or even messaging applications like Whatsapp, Snapchat, etc. This brings forth the need for media educators to delve into the various ways in which social media platforms are being consumed as sources of news and information by the youth.
With the drastic shift in usage patterns of social media over the years, however, fake news on such platforms has emerged as a serious issue that demands a lot more attention. Over the past few years, social media has, and still continues to be extensively used to serve particular interests, expand propaganda, and spread false information, all of which are being fuelled by trolls and automated bots in order to interfere with certain political/ activist discourse on sites including Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, among others. Alongside a rise in fake news and disruptive content over the Internet comes the aspect of ingroup affinity, wherein individuals tend to stick to their own social groups on the platforms, which serves as a major hindrance to accepting other groups’ perspectives and beliefs, a concept known as the echo chamber effect.
One major way in which social media differs from other forms of traditional media is that its users do not actively filter the news articles based on the social media sources but are rather fed with information determined by algorithms that are anyway designed to influence the users in a way that increases their viewership. A comprehensive analysis of 50 million users’ data by Cambridge Analytica found that around 23 percent of social media consumers reported having voluntarily or involuntarily shared fake news, and over 60 percent claimed that the latter induced feelings of confusion in them since they were not sure of which news to believe.
The algorithmic architecture of digital platforms is equally responsible for the narrowed preferences of individuals. For instance, Facebook functions by classifying people’s political inclinations based on their likes and shows them the content that best resonates with their viewpoints. Such tactics tend to strengthen people’s existing beliefs, irrespective of whether they are right or wrong, instead of acquainting them with a multiplicity of perspectives.
A study that sought to assess the effect that a Facebook ‘fake news’ flag would have on social media consumers found that a higher cognitive activity underlined the event of flagging articles. However, the actual categorization of articles as fake did not influence the users’ beliefs in them. There was increased cognitive activity in individuals whose prior opinions matched with the content of the articles, with them being more inclined towards believing the latter. Any news that contrasted with the users’ opinions was not given enough consideration and was less likely to be trusted. These findings put forth the prevalence of confirmation biases, wherein individuals will tend to believe information that coincides with their prior attitudes and opinions, irrespective of the actual credibility of the information.
As consumers of news over social media, we need to be more mindful of the content that we are exposed to. The constant news feed and ‘breaking news’ could potentially be altering our views about people, communities, happenings, and the world at large and making them more restricted and polarised.
The authored article is written by Prof. Sairaj Patki, Assistant Professor (Psychology), FLAME University and shared with Prittle Prattle News exclusively.