Social media has become integral to political campaigns and communication in recent years. However, its use has spawned new forms of political manipulation and discriminatory activities, as Bradshaw (2020) analyzes. A good example is the Russian intervention in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, according to Badawy et al. (2018). So, users must take precautions against these efforts. This discussion examines the steps social media users must take to defend themselves against misinformation operations’ intended objectives.
To safeguard against discrimination campaigns on social media, one must remain alert and cautious when encountering dubious information. Social media users should be cautious when viewing messages that include misleading information or utilizing aggressive language to gain attention (Landon-Murray et al., 2019). If a message sounds too good to be true or is designed to generate an emotional reaction, it may be part of a discriminating campaign. Badawy et al. (2018) say that before reacting or sharing such a post, it is essential to double-check the facts and their source. By remaining vigilant, one can protect oneself from falling prey to discriminatory campaigns on social media.
The second essential measure for mitigating discrimination campaigns on social media is verifying the sources of information. Before reacting or sharing any post, users should ensure the source’s credibility (Landon-Murray et al., 2019). Additional research should be conducted if the source is unknown or suspicious. This might entail examining the website’s legitimacy, finding other sources to authenticate the information, and examining the post’s author, referring to Bradshaw (2020). It is critical to only share or comment on content supported by credible sources. Verifying the sources will help users to prevent the spread of false information and mitigate discriminatory campaigns on social media.
Also, users should consider reporting any suspicious activities on any platform. Whenever a user finds incorrect or discriminating material, they should notify the administrator of the social media network (Badawy et al., 2018). This includes any materials containing hate speech, threats of violence, or other discriminatory material, bestowing to Bradshaw (2020). Reporting such activities may help restrict the spread of damaging material and shield others from discriminatory efforts. This will help users to create a safe and inclusive environment on social media.
Social media users can also use privacy settings to safeguard against discriminatory campaigns. This involves limiting the information publicly available on their profile, controlling who can see their posts, and being cautious when accepting friend requests or connections from unknown individuals, according to Bradshaw (2020). By adjusting their privacy settings, users can limit the reach of their content and prevent their personal information from being utilized in discriminatory campaigns (Landon-Murray et al., 2019). Privacy settings can help users to take a proactive approach to protect themselves from being targeted by discriminatory campaigns on social media.
In conclusion, social media users may defend themselves against discrimination campaigns by being wary of dubious information, verifying sources, exercising critical thought, reporting suspicious conduct, and using privacy settings. The measures will guarantee every social media user of accuracy and credibility of the information they get on social media. Ultimately, social media users will evade being the focus of discriminatory campaigns.
References
Bradshaw, S. (2020). Influence operations and disinformation on social media. Modern Conflict and Artificial Intelligence, 41-47.
Landon-Murray, M., Mujkic, E., & Nussbaum, B. (2019). Disinformation in contemporary U.S. foreign policy: Impacts and ethics in an era of fake news, social media, and artificial intelligence. Public Integrity, 21(5), 512-522.
Badawy, A., Ferrara, E., & Lerman, K. (2018, August). Analyzing the digital traces of political manipulation: The 2016 Russian interference Twitter campaign. In 2018 IEEE/ACM international conference on advances in social networks analysis and mining (ASONAM) (pp. 258-265). IEEE.
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