Analysis on the Effects of Misinformation: Taking Facebook as an Example

Research Article
Open access

Analysis on the Effects of Misinformation: Taking Facebook as an Example

Yunhan Liu 1
  • 1 College of communication Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, the United States    
  • *corresponding author
Published on 1 March 2023 | https://doi.org/10.54254/2753-7048/3/2022465
LNEP Vol.3
ISSN (Print): 2753-7056
ISSN (Online): 2753-7048
ISBN (Print): 978-1-915371-09-6
ISBN (Online): 978-1-915371-10-2

Abstract

Nowadays, misinformation is widely spread on the Internet. It affects people's minds, defining what they think. Social media platforms such as Facebook started working on solutions, but they have not defeated the issues yet. The following content of this paper analyzes the effects of misinformation in detail, suggesting some possible ways to improve public consciousness. It applies the Two-Step Flow Theory of Communication and Agenda Setting Theory to the current issues on Facebook, empathizing the need to address them properly. The research conducted showed that misinformation is especially harmful to information society, in which information is significant for economic, political, and cultural activity. It misleads inadvertently, diminishing the role of truth in reality and the Internet. The application of the Two-Step Flow Theory of Communication and Agenda Setting Theory revealed that social media now determines the social agenda, with bloggers and influences perceived as more credible news informers for people than average news reportages. To address the effects of misinformation, either Facebook or the US government or the US population itself should equally contribute to fighting against misinformation by spreading awareness of the problem in the country. They should organize more initiatives promoting people's immunity to misinformation on the Internet. Only spreading awareness of the problem could help individuals critically evaluate every post they see and remain true to their personal opinions and minds.

Keywords:

Misinformation, Agenda Setting Theory, information society, Facebook., Two-Step Flow Theory of Communication

Liu,Y. (2023). Analysis on the Effects of Misinformation: Taking Facebook as an Example. Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media,3,99-105.
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References

[1]. In Advertising, P. (2019). Agenda setting theory. Retrieved May 14, 2022, from https://www.communicationtheory.org/agenda-setting-theory.

[2]. Benkler, Y., Faris, R., & Roberts, H. (2018). “Network propaganda: Manipulation, disinformation, and radicalization in American politics.” Oxford University Press, https://oxford.universitypressscholarship.com/view/10.1093/oso/9780190923624.001.0001/oso-9780190923624.

[3]. Brown, A. (2021). “Facebook Wants Us To Fix Its Misinformation Problem.” Forbes, https://www.forbes.com/sites/abrambrown/2021/04/01/facebook-wants-us-to-fix-its-misinformation-problem/?sh=63a3d3ff4df2.

[4]. Buchanan, T., & Benson, V. (2019). “Spreading Disinformation on Facebook: Do Trust in Message Source, Risk Propensity, or Personality Affect the Organic Reach of ‘Fake News’”? Social Media + Society, https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2056305119888654.

[5]. Chadwick, A., & Vaccari, C. (2019). “News sharing on U.K. social media: Misinformation, disinformation, and correction.” Loughborough University, https://repository.lboro.ac.uk/articles/report/News_sharing_on_UK_social_media_misinformation_disinformation_and_correction/9471269.

[6]. Higgins, K. (2016). “Post-truth: A guide for the perplexed.” Nature News, 540(7631), 9, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27905459.

[7]. Madrigal, A. C. (2017). “What Facebook did to American democracy.” The Atlantic, http://www.cs.yale.edu/homes/jf/MadrigalFeb2018-2.pdf.

[8]. Misinformation. (n.d.). Retrieved May 14, 2022, from https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/misinformation.

[9]. Mosseri, A. (2017). “Working to Stop Misinformation and False News.” Meta, https://www.facebook.com/formedia/blog/working-to-stop-misinformation-and-false-news.

[10]. Pickard, V. (2016). “Media failures in the age of Trump.” The Political Economy of Communication, 4(2). http://polecom.org/index. php/polecom/article/viewFile/74/264.

[11]. Preston, S., Anderson, A., Robertson D. J., Shephard, M. P. & Huhe, N. (2021). “Detecting fake news on Facebook: The role of emotional intelligence.” PLoS ONE 16(3), e0246757, https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0246757.

[12]. Tsfati, Y., Boomgaarden, H. G., Strömbäck, J., Vliegenthart, R., Damstra, A. & Lindgren, E. (2020). “Causes and consequences of mainstream media dissemination of fake news: literature review and synthesis.” Annals of the International Communication Association, 44, 2, 157-173, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23808985.2020.1759443.

[13]. Weimann, G. (2015). “Two-Step Flow of Communication.” In “International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences (Second Edition),” Elsevier, https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-sciences/two-step-flow-of-communication.

[14]. Woolf, N. (2016). “How to solve Facebook's fake news problem: experts pitch their ideas.” The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/nov/29/facebook-fake-news-problem-experts-pitch-ideas-algorithms.

Cite this article

Liu,Y. (2023). Analysis on the Effects of Misinformation: Taking Facebook as an Example. Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media,3,99-105.

Data availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from the authors upon reasonable request.

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About volume

Volume title: Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Educational Innovation and Philosophical Inquiries (ICEIPI 2022), Part II

ISBN：978-1-915371-09-6(Print) / 978-1-915371-10-2(Online)
Editor：Abdullah Laghari, Nasir Mahmood
Conference website: https://www.iceipi.org/
Conference date: 4 August 2022
Series: Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media
Volume number: Vol.3
ISSN：2753-7048(Print) / 2753-7056(Online)

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References

[1]. In Advertising, P. (2019). Agenda setting theory. Retrieved May 14, 2022, from https://www.communicationtheory.org/agenda-setting-theory.

[2]. Benkler, Y., Faris, R., & Roberts, H. (2018). “Network propaganda: Manipulation, disinformation, and radicalization in American politics.” Oxford University Press, https://oxford.universitypressscholarship.com/view/10.1093/oso/9780190923624.001.0001/oso-9780190923624.

[3]. Brown, A. (2021). “Facebook Wants Us To Fix Its Misinformation Problem.” Forbes, https://www.forbes.com/sites/abrambrown/2021/04/01/facebook-wants-us-to-fix-its-misinformation-problem/?sh=63a3d3ff4df2.

[4]. Buchanan, T., & Benson, V. (2019). “Spreading Disinformation on Facebook: Do Trust in Message Source, Risk Propensity, or Personality Affect the Organic Reach of ‘Fake News’”? Social Media + Society, https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2056305119888654.

[5]. Chadwick, A., & Vaccari, C. (2019). “News sharing on U.K. social media: Misinformation, disinformation, and correction.” Loughborough University, https://repository.lboro.ac.uk/articles/report/News_sharing_on_UK_social_media_misinformation_disinformation_and_correction/9471269.

[6]. Higgins, K. (2016). “Post-truth: A guide for the perplexed.” Nature News, 540(7631), 9, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27905459.

[7]. Madrigal, A. C. (2017). “What Facebook did to American democracy.” The Atlantic, http://www.cs.yale.edu/homes/jf/MadrigalFeb2018-2.pdf.

[8]. Misinformation. (n.d.). Retrieved May 14, 2022, from https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/misinformation.

[9]. Mosseri, A. (2017). “Working to Stop Misinformation and False News.” Meta, https://www.facebook.com/formedia/blog/working-to-stop-misinformation-and-false-news.

[10]. Pickard, V. (2016). “Media failures in the age of Trump.” The Political Economy of Communication, 4(2). http://polecom.org/index. php/polecom/article/viewFile/74/264.

[11]. Preston, S., Anderson, A., Robertson D. J., Shephard, M. P. & Huhe, N. (2021). “Detecting fake news on Facebook: The role of emotional intelligence.” PLoS ONE 16(3), e0246757, https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0246757.

[12]. Tsfati, Y., Boomgaarden, H. G., Strömbäck, J., Vliegenthart, R., Damstra, A. & Lindgren, E. (2020). “Causes and consequences of mainstream media dissemination of fake news: literature review and synthesis.” Annals of the International Communication Association, 44, 2, 157-173, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23808985.2020.1759443.

[13]. Weimann, G. (2015). “Two-Step Flow of Communication.” In “International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences (Second Edition),” Elsevier, https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-sciences/two-step-flow-of-communication.

[14]. Woolf, N. (2016). “How to solve Facebook's fake news problem: experts pitch their ideas.” The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/nov/29/facebook-fake-news-problem-experts-pitch-ideas-algorithms.

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