Once again, Facebook has shared false news about information shared by the United States government. This time the app has had a crucial part in amplifying COVID-19 vaccine misinformation. President Joe Biden responded by saying that Facebook and other apps are "killing people" when it comes to spreading false information about the coronavirus. Biden says it causes much more harm when apps allow conspiracy theories to spread. A spokesperson from Facebook shared a statement to respond to the president and said that they will not be distracted by accusations which aren't supported by facts.
After the brief announcement, Facebook uploaded a post titled Moving Past the Finger Pointing. With social media being such an important part of many people's lives, users are constantly posting and information is not always going to be 100% accurate. Most people understand that posts will not always have all of the facts, but they are aware that they can fact check to find the most accurate information. Blaming apps, companies, and people is not going to do anything, the best thing to do is to fact check and look for information that comes from the most reliable sources.
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Hi Emily,
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to imagine a more direct clash between media and politics than this one, which makes it especially fascinating. In this case, it definitely seems like at least one of the parties is being untruthful since Biden has made these strong claims while Facebook suggests that there are no facts to back the claims up. I'm not sure which side is misleading the public or whether that is intentional, but if the details about Facebook amplifying misinformation are true, there should be consequences.
For the past couple of months Facebook has literally been in the gutter because of what they have going on. You are right to say that people need to not rely on anything to be 100% correct and should do their ow research. The problem is that people don't care enough to fact check, and this is mostly due to them not having enough time. I think the only way to combat this problem is to educate people on how they are supposed to process news.
ReplyDeleteEmily,
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post for many reasons. For example since Facebook is apart of so many lives, this post plants the seed of uncomfortablility. For example, if I know Facebook is lying to me im way less likely to use that app. I alos like how relevant this issue is. With COVID-19 still being a hot topic in so many households, this really shines bright. Lastly I love the way you framed this story because I dont just leave feeling like I read another article. I feel like the curtain got drawn back and I saw the murky waters of what we think is the truth and now I'm scared. Great post!
I wrote a similar post/blog in reference to COVID information and social media/news. There is a extreme amount of misinformation out there but at the same time its hard to even trust Facebook itself or the platform in general. By this I mean, if you post anything on social media with written or verbal comments in reference to COVID... you will get fact checked. Some post will actually block the video or post with a COVID "fact checked" screen prior to allowing access to the post itself. COVID has been so over politicized that it is hard to trust anything or anyone... especially social media. People have to learn how to properly and individually research information and collaborate it with every day experience and common sense.
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