Technological developments have enhanced communication, especially through different social networking platforms, which allows individuals to interact without being affected by physical boundaries. By applying social networking platforms, one can easily communicate in the comfort of the house without the need to travel psychically to meet friends and communicate. On one hand, this communication technology by different social networking platforms such as F.B., WhatsApp, Instagram, and Skype has improved communication, which is beneficial to the community because it has made the communication process easier. On the other hand, they have also led to the challenge of misinformation related to the spread of fake news because most of the social media communication challenges lack a proper and comprehensive verification process, resulting in the spread of fake news, which has a negative impact on the unity of the society. Although the widespread use of social networking platforms has enhanced communication within society, their usage needs to be controlled because they have led to an increase in the spread of fake news, resulting in disinformation because of democratization Principe being granted to those communicating through social media networks. Therefore, the democratization of online information has been a mixed phenomenon with both benefits and drawbacks that require addressing issues of media literacy, content verification, and platform accountability to maximize the former and minimize the latter.
Social media platforms such as Wikipedia, YouTube, and Facebook allow anyone with an internet connection to both access and contribute information which is a form of democratizing knowledge in unprecedented ways (Ogonji et al., p.2), which led to greater participation in public debates discussing current issues hence generating much information about the issue under the discussion such as discussing political pressure and ideology in certain country. The supported discussion and debate can also be about the existing communication on new avenues for civic engagement and activism as well as more democratic flows of communication that were less centralized and top-down compared to traditional mass media. This technology also enables individuals to participate in online community forums and engage in new forms of social interactions, which makes the existing bonds strong as well as creates new bonds, which is essential in improving the cohesiveness of the community (Stephens et al., p.156). However, without proper screening and verification of the information shared on these platforms, the rate of misinformation is high, which becomes a challenge that needs to be addressed so that people can fully benefit from the opportunities of social media platforms.
Along with the opportunities for spreading verified information, the open architecture of the internet and social media also introduced vulnerabilities that could be exploited to spread disinformation at scale for political and commercial motives. The low cost of creating and disseminating digital content, coupled with users’ limited ability to verify information online, made it easier to purposefully spread misleading, fabricated, or manipulated information to influence public debates and opinions. Furthermore, the use of social bots and inauthentic accounts on platforms like Twitter has been shown to amplify propaganda and disinformation during political events and crises (Lewandowsky et al., p.348). Therefore, there is a need for proper regulation and monitoring to ensure that people using social media use authentic accounts that can easily be verified and monitored to reduce the rate of fake news and misinformation.
The spread of disinformation online also risks undermining facts-based public discourse and consensus reality. When large segments of the population are exposed to false or misleading claims on issues like climate change, vaccines, or political events, it makes it harder to address such issues objectively or take informed collective action (Ecker, p.7). Some studies have found correlations between exposure to fabricated news stories during the 2016 election and attitudes toward voting among Americans. The post-truth environment fuelled by disinformation online poses challenges for solving complex problems through evidence-based policymaking and governance (Lewandowsky et al., 2012). Additionally, the democratization of information access through social media has also enabled new forms of civic engagement and grassroots activism on issues such as human rights and social justice, where individuals are able to join and share information with different groups and forums that promote human rights which share useful information and provide much-needed information to the public.
To maximize the benefits of open information flows while mitigating the risks of disinformation, there is a need to promote media and digital literacy among internet users so that they can be able to easily identify misinformation being shared on the internet by having clear tips for identifying red flags on the information that is shared through the internet. The strategies that ensure effective digital literacy include educating the public to think critically about information sources and credibility before sharing or believing it so that only credible information is shared, which will be the best way of preventing the spread of misinformation on the internet. Other strategies that will be helpful in controlling misinformation by engaging in digital literacy sensitization include verifying facts from multiple independent sources and identifying disinformation tactics like logical fallacies or manipulated media so that only authentic information is believed and shared. Technology companies also need to take greater accountability and transparency in curbing inauthentic accounts so that only verified accounts are left to operate, and vetting and reviewing these accounts can be easy.
Although the widespread use of social networking platforms has enhanced communication within society, their usage needs to be controlled because they have led to an increase in the spread of fake news, resulting in disinformation because of democratization Principe being granted to those communicating through social media networks. Without proper screening and verification of the information shared on social media platforms, the rate of misinformation is high, which becomes a challenge that needs to be addressed so that people can fully benefit from the opportunities of social media platforms. Therefore, there is a need for proper regulation and monitoring to ensure that people using social media use authentic accounts that can easily be verified and monitored to reduce the rate of fake news and misinformation, which will maximize the opportunities for social media’s impact on literacy while minimizing the associated weaknesses.
Works Cited
Ecker, Ullrich K. H. “The Psychological Drivers of Misinformation Belief and Its Resistance to Correction.” Nature Reviews Psychology, vol. 1, no. 1, Jan. 2022, pp. 13–29, https://doi.org/10.1038/s44159-021-00006-y.
Lewandowsky, Stephan, and Sander Van Der Linden. “Countering misinformation and fake news through inoculation and prebunking.” European Review of Social Psychology 32.2 (2021): 348. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Sander-Van-Der-Linden/publication/349494557_Countering_Misinformation_and_Fake_News_Through_Inoculation_and_Prebunking/links/60338c744585158939bf0ad8/Countering-Misinformation-and-Fake-News-Through-Inoculation-and-Prebunking.pdf
Ogonji, Mark Mbock, George Okeyo, and Joseph Muliaro Wafula. “A survey on privacy and security of Internet of Things.” Computer Science Review 38 (2020): 100312. https://dora.dmu.ac.uk/server/api/core/bitstreams/b8ce9525-9cad-4800-9a94-2453ca2e4ab1/content
Stephens, Keri K., and Brett W. Robertson. “Social media platforms and broader participation in crisis communication.” Social Media and Crisis Communication (2022): 156. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003043409-18/social-media-platforms-broader-participation-crisis-communication-Keri-Stephens-britt-Robertson
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