Sept. 17: Bursting online bubbles
This is a shortened version of Get Smart About News, a free weekly newsletter that explores trends and issues in misinformation, social media, artificial intelligence and journalism. Subscribe HERE.
Top Story of the week
While two-thirds of American adults say social media is bad for democracy, many still depend on it as a source of news even while questioning its role in deepening political divides. Platforms depend on growth and user engagement to make money, which can result in algorithms promoting extreme content that provokes strong reactions, experts say. “Racism is very profitable,” said former extremist Katie McHugh in an interview with PBS NewsHour. She compared extricating herself from online hate and extremism as “pulling shrapnel out of your brain.”
“Don’t let confirmation bias narrow your perspective” (NLP NewsLit tip card).Infographic:
“In brief: Confirmation bias and motivated reasoning” (NLP’s Resource Library).
“Same goals, new tactics: How extremist groups have weaponized social media to push agendas” (Sade Ajishegiri, Nic Napier, Max Reich and Isabella Vesperini, Arnolt Center for Investigative Journalism and IndyStar).
“Soldiers Now Face Punishment for Sharing, Liking Extremist Content on Social Media Under New Army Policy” (Steve Beynon, Military.com).
RumorGuard post of the week
NLP created RumorGuard to fact-check viral rumors and help you build news literacy skills. Sign up to push back against misinformation HERE.
❌ NO: There are no credible reports of Haitian immigrants stealing, harming or eating pets or local wildlife in Springfield, Ohio, or elsewhere.
✔️ YES: City officials in Springfield debunked this claim and said there is no evidence to support it.
❌ NO: This photo was taken in Columbus, Ohio, not Springfield, and there's no evidence that the person pictured is a Haitian immigrant or that he killed or ate the goose.
💡 NewsLit takeaway: Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, and when social media users started spreading sensational rumors about Haitian immigrants stealing, killing and eating pets and wildlife in Springfield, Ohio, they offered little to support those assertions. Still, since these evidence-free rumors appeared to confirm some people’s preconceived misconceptions about immigrants, they were widely spread on social media and even received a mention on the presidential debate stage.
Removing a video or photograph — especially one of a graphic nature — from its original context and spreading it online attached to a hot-button political issue is a common form of political misinformation. Since this content often evokes a strong and immediate emotional response, social media users frequently engage with it before taking the time to fact-check. Resisting the urge to like, share or comment on these posts can be difficult, but pausing to consider the source, the evidence and the reasoning behind these claims is the only way to slow their spread.
Kickers of the week
➕ A whirlwind of conspiracy theories about the motive and authenticity of an apparent assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump on Sept. 15 spread on Weibo, a popular and heavily censored social media app in China.
➕ Ready for it? Taylor Swift warned her 284 million Instagram followers about the perils of AI-generated misinformation in her recent presidential endorsement.
➕ A free bilingual newspaper recently launched in a predominantly Latino area in Houston, Texas, with the goal of making residents feel more connected by telling “untold stories in the Hispanic community.”
One last thing...
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