2- Misinformation and Disinformation in Social Media

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Misinformation and Disinformation in Social Media


    With the rise of social media across different generations, many people find apps such as Instagram and Facebook to be quick and easy sources of news. While the accessibility of these apps allows for a large demographic to absorb information within seconds, the ability for anyone to post widespread content often results in information that is not factually accurate making its way to screens all over the country. The misinformation and disinformation that is consumed daily have become a daily hazard that all social media users must be aware of. 

    One common source of misinformation is TikTok health trends. Due to the increased visibility into users' daily lives, teenagers and adults across the world are tuning in to watch TikTok "Influencers" share their daily routines. The glorification of these individuals has led to followers partaking in certain trends to improve their physical health and outer appearance that can actually have little to no positive effect. One such trend is the garlic sinuses practice, in which influencers insert garlic cloves inside their nostrils in order to clear mucus out of their noses. While this practice is not detrimental to the health of the person partaking in the trend, the mucus that is taken from the nose develops as a result of the garlic's presence rather than simply expelling already formed mucus. While garlic does have some benefits for immune systems, it does not magically remove mucus from your sinuses. 

    Similar to misinforming health trends, several forms of disinformation on TikTok can be found. While most users want to show off their own personal lifestyles, many accounts focus on sharing opinions on numerous social issues. However, with the variety of artificial intelligence, many accounts have turned to creating deepfakes in order to falsely support their own opinions. These AI-created images and videos have been used to depict uncharacteristic actions performed by celebrities and politicians alike. One example of this is a deepfake that circulated around social media in 2017, in which Mark Zuckerberg's likeness claimed to want to discover users' personal data. Although deepfakes take time to create, they are spread over social media platforms every single day. Not only do deepfakes depict an eerie image of a real person, but the information contained within them is often extremely disinforming and harmful. 


        While social media is a quick and easy resource for news, it is important to realize that anyone can create widespread content. The truthfulness of the content that is consumed every day may not be accurate. Because of this, it is extremely important to fact-check the news that you consume from social media.  

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