Social media is an important technology that allows people to interact with each other online and share content. However, social media platforms are full of rumors that often circulate widely within a short time. Social media makes it easy to not only initiate but also spread a rumor fast and with little effort. These rumors can hurt the individual who believes them.
The problem with rumors on social media is that they are presented as facts. There is no indication that the story being presented might be based on unverified claims. A person is therefore likely to react to this unsubstantiated information. A month ago, a Tweeter thread with the hashtag #100Days100Nights began to trend in the US. This thread claimed that there was a competition among various gangs in the Los Angeles region to see who would be the first to kill 100 people. This rumor spread fast and it led to fears in the South LA community. People were afraid to go outdoors since they did not want to be victims of the gangs. All this was even though the validity of the rumors could not be established. A lack of awareness about social media rumors might, therefore, cause you to make bad decisions.
People should develop strategies to deal with social media rumors. The first step to dealing with social media rumors is to recognize that you should not believe everything you read online. While most people know that online information might be false, they tend to forget this when it comes to rumors. The reason for this is that rumors are often based on the truth. In addition to this, the rumors are often interesting or of a sensational nature. This makes them spread fast as they are excited to share.
An individual should stop spreading unverified claims through their social media accounts. Rumors are spread by people who have obtained the information from their friends through social media. This makes a rumor seem credible since in most cases a friend shares it. When a friend shares an issue on his/her twitter account, you are likely to take this as an indication that he/she agrees with the information.
For example, a photo claiming to show an Islamic State fighter seeking refuge in Europe was shared on a user’s Facebook page. This rumor went viral and it caused many people to fear that Islamic militants were getting into Europe. By avoiding the temptation to share sensational but unverified news, you will help stop rumors.
Another strategy to deal with rumors is to wait for validation by trusted news outlets such as newspapers and news channels. Social media spreads information faster than traditional sources of news. The reason for this is that social media information is spread before any verification of facts has been made. Traditional news sources ensure that they have verified information before releasing it to the public.
Some feel that social media rumors are not a big issue. This view is taken since the truth on an issue eventually emerges. While the truth of a rumor is initially unknown, in the end, it is verified as true as false. It does not matter if the rumor was false since a person can rectify the error using new information in the future. In the above case involving the #100Days100Nights tweet, it was later confirmed that the rumor was false. People who had seen or spread the rumor finally discovered the truth.
While the truthfulness of a rumor might emerge later, the damage done by the rumor will not disappear. People tend to react to information. They may, therefore, take action based on the rumor before its validity is established. The reactions may be of significance. For example, in reaction to the photo claiming to show an Islamic State fighter seeking refuge in Europe, European officials proposed stopping refugees from Syria from entering Europe. Even after it was clear that the rumor was false, people in Europe are still wary of refugees from Syria. As such, even if the truth will emerge eventually, people should be careful when dealing with social media rumors.
Many rumors are being spread through social media. While some of these unverified claims are harmless, some can hurt individuals. It is therefore important for one to remain attentive when consuming information from social media. Do not believe the rumors until they are verified by a trusted source.