Fake News: Social Media

What is the relationship between social media and fake news?

Fake news spreads through:

• sharing links on social media by individuals. Always verify and evaluate articles before posting.
• fake social media accounts powered by social bots

What is a bot? How do bots influence social media?

A social bot is a computer algorithm programmed to produce content and interact with humans on social media, aiming to mimic and influence human behavior. Bots are deployed in helpful ways to automate a range of business functions, and deployed in harmful ways when they increase the dissemination of false information.

Adapted from: Emilio Ferrara, et al. "The Rise of Social Bots." Communications Of The ACM 59, No. 7 (July 2016): 96-104.

How do I spot a bot on social media?

Look for the following 3 identifiers:

• Frequency: How often does the account in question post? How much does it post? How regularly? Is there a pattern? Is the volume of content posted beyond human capability?
• Content: Can this account properly interact when contacted directly? Is the content posted consistent? Does it make sense semantically?
• Social network analysis: Does this account have a diverse set of network connections? What does the network look like visualized on a map? Does this account look like it is only following other bots? Does this account interact in conversation from the margins or from the center?

Adapted from: Samuel C. Woolley, "Resource for Understanding Political Bots." PoliticalBots.org: A Project on Algorithms, Computational Propaganda, and Digital Politics. Last accessed on January 4, 2023.

Not all advertising on social media is clearly noted.

Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok use a blue badge icon to mark verified accounts. These verification badges indicate that it is the authentic account of a notable person.

Prior to November 2022, a blue badge icon on an X (Twitter) account indicated the account belonged to a notable person. As of November 2022, the icon indicates only that a person has paid for a subscription. You can learn more about X (Twitter) verification here.