Where you’re most likely to find fake news
Bottom Line: That headline is likely to bring about the names of specific news providers and regardless of who came to mind first you’re probably right...about all of them. Anyway, this isn’t about the latest CNN headline, faked NY Times piece or Lester Holt pretending he’s highly relevant. It’s about where most fake news is disseminated. In a study just conducted in the journal Human Communication Research...The answer is... Yes, Facebook. Twitter wasn’t too far behind but here’s the thing to know. Those who are most partisan left or right, are those who’re most likely to share fake news on social media.
Just as the email forwards of times gone by and that still occasionally persist – there are few ways to erode your credibility faster within any given circle of influence than to peddle fake news. Even if it was unwitting on your part. It’s important to ensure what you’re sharing is vetted and not just passed along. For your credibility’s sake and also for the sake of the ever more difficult to get to truth about any important topics. Now for the better news. Most social media users don’t share fake news.
According to the study 71% of Facebook users and 95% of Twitter users don’t share false stories with others. That’s likely a better rate than most mainstream media outlets. And as I think about it, I’m not really kidding. Just be aware that nearly a third of stuff shared on Facebook is bunk and it’s often those who are most politically engaged/motivated who share and/or fall for it. The more you know...