Coronavirus and false news: how to face them on social networks?

Coronavirus, ignorance and false news: this is how social networks react to the phenomenon.

Hi marketer,

If you follow us, you know that in these pages, we often talk about strategies on how to increase sales of an electronic commerce or develop an Instagram profile.

Given the recent epidemic that struck our country (which causes many problems), we have decided to say it on this subject, to examine the situation from the point of view of the web and social networks and to put one of the places where the contagion takes place in the foreground: through false or not very reliable information: SO-CALLAD False news

The role he has on the internet today, linked to information sharing is incredible: social networks are channels that allow you to reach millions of people in short time and all this helps users

There are people who have only informed themselves via their smartphone and everything that has entered online buy extreme importance.

In a context like what we live (especially in Italy), what are social media today to inform and educate? And how can a user recognize a false news?

Let’s first see how these technology giants are underway.

Facebook and Instagram

Facebook And Instagram directs their users, looking for information to the new coronavirus, towards a ad hoc built section inside the platform. In addition, Zuckerberg’s car has taken serious measures against advertisements and false news concerning the phenomenon. False information is actually labeled as unreliable and literally lowered by the platform.

The Ministry of Health also concluded an agreement with Facebook to direct users looking for information on the Coronavirus SUL (COVVI-19)

Despite these standard countermeasures, the phenomenon does not seem to be able to be controlled within the groups, as explained by the New York Times:

«»These measures, however, did not prevent people from Facebook groups deprived of binding and sharing a disinformation surrounding the virus.

In private Facebook groups, including one that totals more than 100,000 members, conspiracy theories spread that coronavirus was an invention of the pharmaceutical industry, intended to sell the public on more expensive and more vaccine medicines. «

In the past, we have examined the role of false news on mass thought in these pages, these weeks so important for the country, it is necessary that all information is transmitted to the social network – before reaching the eyes which could give it a misinterpretation.

However, the responsibility remains in the hands of the user information (see the case of groups) which must be able to wonder what it meets before drawing hasty conclusions.

WhatsApp and Bufale

Also Whatsapp He is an accomplice in the dissemination of news, both false and not-frozen, unfortunately the encryption (therefore the protection system) of conversations within the messaging application prevents authorities from putting an end to the dissemination of monthly news within groups or private cats.

Twitter

Twitter Supports the user to education for this phenomenon by postponing any conscious research towards the subject to a page with current data from the epidemic and information from verified sources.

Twitter has proven to be categorical to the false news, affirming how it is now fundamental to have a zero tolerance approach to questionable origin.

Pinterest

Pinterest, the social network of the Board of Directors has decided to remove any research relating to COVID-19, at the coronavirus and under related terms, deciding to bring people to an ad hoc page which directly shows the content made available by international health organizations.

Google

Google On the one hand, he embraces the intelligent working policy according to which «thanks» to the virus was rediscovered by the Italians, providing his work suite G Ultra-Inconnue (World, Excel and Bella Company).

On the other hand, he recently added – following a conscious research on the subject by users – a direct connection with the WHO page and the Italian Ministry of Health which vertically processes the information verified and truthful at 100%.

Let’s see how Google has divided its research provision between news, spring sources and a virus diffusion card.

YouTube

A giant Google song – YouTube – He is currently working to improve his algorithms and facilitate the identification of the videos inherent in the platform in the Crownavirus which contains erroneous or partially incorrect information. Here too, there is an official video of the Italian government ready to make from the loading columns for quality information on the subject.

Microsoft

Microsoft: Not only social networks, even giant companies like Microsoft worked to help in this climate: the Redmond giant actually offered 6 months of free testing its tools to work remotely (also here as Google, World, Excel, Power Point, etc.). The curiosity that may not be known to everyone is that Microsoft is part of a limited group of companies that offers digital systems to support populations in the red zone.

False news outside of social networks

He put him in one of his studies tells us that the false news has 70% more likely to be ritual compared to real stories.

The real news travels six times more slowly than the lie. This certainly happens because we like to go and get sensationalist news and it can trigger likes and sharing of our messages.

It must be said that disinformation does not only extend within the «secure» limits of social networks, because history teaches us each opportunity to obtain advantages on the shoulders of the suffering of others, here are born sites – built by attackers – which steal data and information from these users who are looking for information on the phenomenon. The New York Times continues:

“Safety researchers have even found that hackers were creating threadbarous websites that claimed to have information on the coronavirus. The sites were in fact digital traps, aimed at stealing personal data or entering the devices of the people who landed them. ”

In a context where fear is the master, it is essential to put a line of demarcation and define where the truth ends and the false news begins.

Foment a climate of uncertainty could lead to events of violence or riot which, fortunately, have not occurred in our country.

The New York Times underlines the commitment and work of social networks towards this phenomenon with these words:

«»Facebook, YouTube and Twitter all said they were making efforts to bring people back to reliable sources of medical information, and had direct communication lines with WHO and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention «

The race for the coverage has started, the common goal is. Clean square of improvised experts, conspiracy and bad information.

How to recognize a false news?

At this point, it is good to give two concepts on the COEM Recognizing or avoiding false news in general and, in particular, on the Crownavirus.

1. Research on official sources

First, if you have doubts and uncertainties, search directly on the official sites. In the case of COVID-19, you can go to the website of the Ministry of Health where all the news and interventions of ministers and civil protection are collected.

2. Report all the oddities to social media

If you see on the various shared social networks without an official source in support or link from sites with strange names, report them to social social networks, do not share them and seek the title of the news with Google with «Fake News» next to Google. In this way, you will know if this article is a false news or in any case a new one of little value.

3. Watch out for whatsapp vowels

The same goes for the vowels that work on WhatsApp, do not share them and first check the source and the veracity of the news.

4. Analyze the news of the news that you read well

If by clicking, you ended up on a site with a new one, look at the site URL and try to understand if it is a reliable information site, if those who wrote it are a source of authority (also consult Linkedin), if there is too much advertising on the site. Usually, information sites are registered newspapers and in the fototer, everything you need is written.

5. Don’t download anything!

On the sites you have visited, in group cats, by e-mail, been invited to download a video or a PDF? If you are not an absolute certainty of the source, do not absolutely do it. Answer this person what the message contains because maybe you may know and their account may have been hacked. Try to understand if he is aware of sending the message. If you do not know the sender and you do not wait for messages, basket directly.

Have you met a false news with the theme of the coronavirus?

Tell me in the comments.

See!