Author – Olena Churanova
In today’s world, social media is not only a platform for exchanging information and receiving news but also a battlefield for our thoughts and beliefs. For Ukrainians, this is not a metaphorical comparison, but a real threat, as Russians are actively using these platforms to spread disinformation and manipulation. In addition to hostile countries, other actors create dangerous content that is easy to come across in our daily feeds.
This guide, based on StopFake’s recommendations, will help you avoid the pitfalls of disinformation, protect yourself, and make social media a safer place for everyone.
Use your emotions as a tool to fact-check information
As it may sound, we suggest using your emotional intelligence rather than digital verification tools to identify fakes, manipulations, and dangerous posts on social media in the first place. Moreover, this advice is based on scientific research. In 2021, researchers found that people with high levels of emotional intelligence were more likely to identify false information spread by Facebook.
So, pay attention to your emotional reactions when you are watching a news feed on social media. If your emotions are positive, this may indicate that the information is in line with your interests and values. If your emotions are negative, it may indicate that the information is manipulative or untruthful. Fake news creators primarily focus on strong emotions, as they turn off our critical thinking and encourage us to click the ‘Share!’ button as soon as possible.
If you feel strong emotions, ask yourself:
- – What emotions do I feel?
– Why does this information make me feel this way?
– Does this information contain facts or just emotional triggers and appeals?
– Can I confirm this information with other sources?
Artificial intelligence: don’t trust everything you see with your own eyes
Fact-checkers at StopFake have repeatedly pointed out the threats posed by the development of artificial intelligence-based technologies in the information sector. Of course, AI makes life easier, helps scientists, and performs routine tasks for people, but at the same time, it has also made it simpler for propagandists. It has never been easier to create a fake than it is now. And these fakes are focused on what we used to trust unconditionally – our senses, our eyes. Technologies are improving, and language systems are evolving every minute, so it is becoming more and more difficult to recognize AI-generated fakes. So, unfortunately, we will have to get used to the fact that not everything we see is trustworthy.
StopFake has already written about tools and ways to check AI fakes. In addition to tools, pay attention to the context in which images and videos are shared, the sources that use them, as well as the details and background of the image that may give away artificiality and fake.
Beware of scammers – wallets are now stolen online
In addition to Russians and other hostile countries, the same scammers remain active on social media. They also track inattentive citizens who have not taken care of the security of their wallets and are now hunting for your data. Sometimes they disguise themselves as your friends and ask you to vote for your son in a photo contest (clicking on such a link can lead to the theft of confidential information) or ask for financial help on behalf of your friends by hacking their social media pages.
Every day, dozens of messages appear on social media about alleged ‘financial assistance’ that will be ‘instantly’ credited to your wallet. In reality, this is just giving a thief access to your financial data and resources.
StopFake has already provided detailed instructions on how to protect yourself from online fraudsters. Tell your family and friends about it so that you don’t fall for the scams, and don’t click on dubious links where someone asks you to enter your card number and CV code.
Don’t be fooled by bots and trolls
The same AI makes it easier for Russians to generate thousands of comments and send them under Ukrainian posts to influence our emotions and decisions. It should be remembered that the army of bots and trolls has not disappeared, but is only growing exponentially thanks to modern technology.
Who are trolls? These are users who leave provocative comments to stir up emotions and quarrels. They try to provoke reactions from others, often ignoring facts and using an aggressive tone.
How to recognize a troll?
- – Constantly publishing controversial posts, memes, or videos with loud headlines.
– Repeats the same thing to provoke a reaction.
– Ignores facts, even if they are pointed out.
– Writes with aggression and belittles others.
What to do with trolls?
- – Ignore trolls.
– Block them.
– Complain about them to social media support.
Bots are automated programs that imitate real people. They spread the necessary information, artificially increase the popularity of pages, or promote certain narratives.
How to recognize a bot?
- The date of account creation. Bots often appear for specific events.
Name and profile photo. Bots often have random sets of letters and numbers in their names, and the photo may be stolen or missing altogether.
Activity. Bots post a lot in a short time – for example, tens or hundreds of posts per hour.
Links. Check which sites they are sharing and whether they are reliable sources.
Repeated comments. If a comment looks suspicious, search for its text online – other bots may have copied it.
Always verify the source
A lot of fakes and manipulations are caused by quotes taken out of context, exaggerations, or deliberate misrepresentations of facts. Therefore, it is important to learn how to find and analyze the source of any publication that looks questionable.
StopFake has already written about AI-based tools that can help with this and the rules for searching with Google. When checking sources, always pay attention to the link used in the news, whether it leads to the source, and whether the source is known and authoritative, do not trust anonymous pages, blogs, or websites with dubious sources of funding, and be very careful with screenshots, quotes turned into memes or pictures – look for the original quote, the context in which these words were said.
If you are not sure, do not comment or share!
Digital literacy today means everyone taking responsibility for the information space around us. Each user can become the point that stops the spread of fakes, does not support or reinforce stereotypes and hatred, and does not become an enabler of disinformation.
It’s worth remembering that every like, comment, or repost increases the reach of the content, even if it is false. Social networks perceive this as a signal of popularity and show the post to a larger audience.
What do you do if you have already spread fake news?
- – Delete the post or comment if you realize that the information is false.
– Write a new post to alert your followers to the error.
– Explain how you knew it was fake so that others can avoid similar situations.
The article was prepared with the support of NDI
