Navigating Social Media Fake News with Common Sense Approaches

In an era of information overload, navigating the torrent of news about critical issues like election security, pandemic response, and vaccine safety has become increasingly difficult for most Americans. Many turn to social media for quick information, relying on their personal networks to filter content, often reinforcing existing beliefs about contentious topics.

Nadya Bliss, who leads Arizona State University’s Global Security Initiative, has developed strategies to help people identify and avoid dangerous misinformation on social media platforms. Bliss, whose work includes researching disinformation campaigns, recently contributed to a Computing Community Consortium white paper on detecting and combating tactics used to manipulate public opinion.

A recent incident illustrates the challenge: A viral social media post claimed an abandoned school bus near Phoenix was filled with stolen voting machines. Despite local police quickly confirming the bus actually contained office equipment with no connection to elections, the false narrative continued spreading, accumulating hundreds of shares across Facebook and thousands on Twitter.

“Differentiating between speculation and news comes down to the sources and how much you trust them,” Bliss explains. “Is the source a trusted news outlet that adheres to journalistic integrity? Or is it someone who jumped to conclusions that fit their political beliefs?”

Bliss recommends cross-referencing information with authoritative organizations. For pandemic information, she suggests checking the CDC website or reputable medical institutions. For election concerns, state secretary of state offices or the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency provide reliable fact-checking resources.

“I know it can be labor intensive to verify a post’s accuracy, but it’s worth the extra effort,” Bliss emphasizes. “The spread of false information, largely through social media, is a major problem in our country. If you can’t validate a story through a trusted source, don’t share it.”

Research from MIT shows false stories spread six times faster on social media than truthful ones. Disinformation specialists have become adept at manipulating both human emotions and platform algorithms to maximize engagement with misleading content.

Conspiracy theories thrive partly because they fit existing narratives and provide simple explanations for complex issues, according to Bliss. “If I already don’t trust politicians and think the government wants to control citizens, then seeing government-imposed quarantines for a disease I haven’t personally experienced makes it easier to believe stories about manufactured threats.”

These theories also offer believers a sense of inclusion and empowerment through exclusive “knowledge.” While social media isn’t the only vector for false information, it plays a central role in the disinformation ecosystem due to minimal content verification.

“Social media does pretty minimal vetting of information,” Bliss notes. “Modern disinformation efforts are crafted to avoid being blocked, often mixing elements of truth with falsehoods to appear more credible and shareable.”

People tend to trust information from their personal networks, but friends and colleagues are equally susceptible to spreading misinformation. Bliss suggests identifying media sources that don’t rely primarily on advertising revenue or clickbait, and distinguishing between fact-based reporting and opinion pieces.

When encountering provocative content, Bliss advises taking a moment before sharing. “If something sparks outrage or an emotional response, don’t automatically hit ‘share.’ Disinformation is designed to trigger emotional reactions.”

She recommends checking whether posts include links to original sources rather than undated, unsourced screenshots. Legitimate information should come from sources with verified expertise or firsthand knowledge.

Understanding platform incentive structures is also important. “Social media companies make more money by increasing user engagement. False information spreads more rapidly than truth, partly because misleading content is designed to trigger emotional responses,” Bliss explains.

The information asymmetry between users and disinformation campaigns presents a significant challenge. “They use powerful tools to spread false information widely while making it seem credible, and our only defense is our critical thinking,” says Bliss.

She advocates for a national effort to strengthen media literacy education and critical analysis skills. “Disinformation represents a genuine national security threat, and we all need to recognize it when it appears in our feeds and avoid amplifying it further.”