If your Facebook feed seems more clogged with conspiracy theories than usual, you’re not alone. Throughout 2020, we’ve seen all sorts of people and groups blamed for COVID-19, election interference and general chaos happening this year.
But how much of this information is true or false? The best conspiracy theories weave bits of fact in with fiction to spread as far and wide as possible. Tap or click here to see a major COVID-19 conspiracy debunked.
As technology and social media get more sophisticated, it takes a sharper eye to spot conspiracy theories. That’s why researchers at Cambridge created a game that shows how they spread. Try it out and see how you do!
It’s way too easy for disinformation to go viral, but not everyone knows how this happens. There’s a good amount of manipulation and planning involved — and a new game by researchers at Cambridge’s Social Decision Making Lab can show you how so many people are getting duped.
Go Viral is a browser game with three separate levels designed to test your knowledge of social media manipulation. You play an aspiring pundit with dreams of a bigger audience, and depending on the choices you make, you can achieve viral success or a low follower count.
The game takes five minutes to play and involves three levels of challenge: Emotion, Fake Expertise and Conspiracy. These, according to the game’s creators, are the three fundamentals behind any viral fake news campaign.
In the first level, you start with a selection of tweets to post to your in-game account. All of them are COVID-19-related, but one of them stands out:
If you pick this tweet, the game takes off. You’re now able to manipulate the tweet for exposure. By the end of the game, depending on your choices, you could end up losing friends or sparking riots.
Go Viral is based on a similar game launched in 2018 called Bad News, which taught players the mechanisms behind fake news operations. Researchers found playing the game reduced how much a person believed fake news stories by an average of 21%.
It should go without saying that products claiming to be “miracle cures” are usually anything but, especially during this pandemic. Were it so easy to fix a range of health conditions like cancer, HIV or COVID-19 with a simple tonic or pill, doctors wouldn’t be making the kind of money they do, would they?
A recent New York Times article focused on frustrated doctors in hospitals and private offices, who are battling not only COVID-19, but also the flood of online misinformation — the conspiracy theories and the outright lies. Are you an unwitting part of the problem?
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YouTube is one of the web’s most essential websites. In fact, it’s the second most popular social media platform in the world, with more than 1.9 billion registered accounts and about 500 hours of video uploaded every minute.
Debates about free speech on the web are as old as the internet itself. But due to rapid changes in public discourse and opinion, not everyone is sure as to where free speech applies online.
Per the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, Congress shall make no law “…prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech.” Of course, this applies to the government making rules about speech, not businesses and the platforms they own. Tap or click here to explore a high-resolution digital edition of the U.S. Constitution.
Facebook has been a breeding ground for misinformation and conspiracy theories for some time now. The insular nature of Facebook groups as well as the company’s unwillingness to fact-check posts make it easy for viral conspiracy theories to spread like wildfire.
Open/download audioSocial media platforms are hotbeds for conspiracy theories, fake news, hate, violence and all manner of despicable content. Now Twitter is putting its proverbial foot down to at least one of these, and it’s high time.
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Fake news and conspiracy theories are a hallmark of the modern internet. Studies have shown that more than one-quarter of Americans believe the U.S. is controlled by a secret society of some kind, and that beliefs in other subjects like faked moon landings, chemicals in drinking water and UFO coverups are also on the rise.
Open/download audioRumors spread quickly, and conspiracy theories even faster. An American Army reservist is being terrorized following videos and social media posts claiming she’s the one who brought the coronavirus to China.
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One thing has become evident during the COVID-19 pandemic: People are desperately searching for information. Whether it’s about symptoms, where to buy essentials or how to protect oneself from contracting the virus, knowledge is in high demand.
Many questions about the coronavirus still remain, but few prompt as much heated discussion as the true origin of this deadly pandemic.
Based on what we know, there’s little doubt that the virus is of animal origins. Despite piles of scientific evidence, some still insist on spreading baseless conspiracies. Tap or click here to see why COVID-19 is not a bioweapon.
Open/download audioIn times of crisis, we’re all searching for reliable information. My advice: Steer clear of, well, most of social media. Here are some of the bizarre conspiracy theories nuts are spouting off right now, from government power grabs to 5G’s role in spreading the virus.
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The deadly coronavirus was found late last year in China and has since been spreading globally. According to worldometers, there have been more than 77,000 cases reported and 2,250 deaths so far.
This fast-spreading virus seems to have everyone on edge and searching for information wherever they can find it. But be careful, there are tons of fake news stories about the coronavirus spreading on social media. Tap or click here to see some of the crazy conspiracy theories.
Since the mid-2010s, short-form videos have been some of the most popular means of viral entertainment. Apps like TikTok, Snapchat and Vine have changed the way we consume content, proving short videos still have staying power in a digital ecosystem that demands “engagement.”
What a year the past month and a half have been, huh? There have been so many crazy headlines recently that it certainly feels like time has slowed down. But of all the news circulating since the start of the year, few stories have been as impactful or scary as the coronavirus outbreak in China.
It’s 2020 and you know what that means, right? Yep, it’s an election year.
If you’ve been paying attention, you know things are starting to heat up. Just this week people in the great state of Iowa had the first chance to exercise their right to vote.
Do you feel a tickle in the back of your throat or a sniffle in your nose? You know it’s probably a common cold or the seasonal flu, but you can’t help but worry it’s something far worse: the dreaded Wuhan coronavirus.
Fake news has been making headlines recently. It started a few years ago, before the 2016 presidential election, and is still going strong — especially on social media.
Unfortunately, this phenomenon isn’t contained to just politics. Tap or click here to see the top 10 fake news articles on Facebook in 2019. The scourge of fake news has even reached the medical field.
As hard as they may try, social media platforms have a lot of trouble shutting down the misinformation and conspiracy theories that make up a fake news epidemic. That’s why a group of researchers created a game to help people better understand how to spot fake news, and therefore curb how far it’s spread.
Misinformation is a serious problem on YouTube, and it’s starting to get people hurt. A perfect example is “Miracle Mineral Solution,” a chemical tonic promoted by a healer and self-proclaimed “space bishop.” According to him, this medicine can cure a variety of ailments — including autism. But make no mistake, Miracle Mineral Solution does nothing of the sort. It’s actually a completely different chemical, one that’s poisonous if swallowed: bleach. Worse yet, people are actually consuming it!
