Consequences of Fake News
Combating misinformation requires the combined efforts of social media platforms, users, and society as a whole.
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When fake news goes viral the consequences can be alarming. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we saw just how damaging false stories can be. Many people turned to social media for guidance instead of relying on scientifically supported sources. Some opted for unproven treatments—like eating ginger—yet avoided preventative practices, such as vaccination. Although these stories put misinformation in the spotlight, fake news certainly preceded COVID-19.
Here are some unproven general health statements from recent stories:
Ginger is 10,000x more effective at killing cancer than chemo
Childhood vaccines cause Autism
Previous research has highlighted several factors that contribute to the rapid spread of misinformation. Misinformation spreads quickly due to social media algorithms, confirmation bias, and political polarization. Algorithms reinforce similar viewpoints, bias makes people believe false stories, and polarization creates networks to accelerate fake news spread.
Femi Olan and colleagues explored the negative impact of social media’s fake news on society. In their online survey of 546 individuals, the authors emphasized that platforms encourage tightly-knit communities that reinforce shared beliefs, attract new followers, and amplify content through re-sharing, making it easier for false narratives to go viral, as shown in the image above. Combating fake news requires teamwork between social media platforms, users, and society.
While some media outlets have recently made efforts to create safeguards against fake news, much of this information is still being published on social networking websites. For example, Facebook, at one point in time, implemented fact-checking tools and stricter verification policies to combat the spread of misinformation. However, these efforts still allowed fake information to slip through and are now in the process of being reduced.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and other public health agencies stress the importance of leveraging social media to provide real-time factual information. They recommend campaigns that highlight evidence-based content, counter false narratives, and promote media literacy to empower users to critically evaluate information.
Olan and colleagues emphasize that users, too, play a key role in combating misinformation by pursuing their own fact-checking and verification efforts. Check facts and stories you see on social media at factcheck.org.
