Social Media

How to know what information to trust

Aili Shaw

With so much information out there on social media, especially with the pandemic and all the political stuff going on, it can be hard to know which sites to trust. This article includes some tips on how to know which information is true, and which is fake, exaggerated, or otherwise distorted.

As infodemic.blog says, SIFT:

Stop

Investigate the source

Find better coverage

Trace claims, quotes, and media to the original context

The most important thing to do first is to STOP if you feel like the post is fake. Next, investigate the source. Consider hovering over the source (look at the name, the person/organization that posted it) and read about the person/organization. Do they seem reliable? Look at the number of followers. It says they are a big news outlet broadcasting news around the world… But they only have 1,000 followers. What do you think? Are they really what they say they are? CNN Business says that one thing that you can look for is a blue checkmark next to the source. The checkmark indicates that Facebook or Twitter has verified that they are a real person/organization that matches their name. Be sure to also check the date that it was posted--If it turns out to be in 2014, reposting and sharing it can only cause confusion.

Search the domain on Wikipedia. Just search URL + Wikipedia. If it doesn’t have a Wikipedia page, then it probably isn’t as big as you think. If it does… Read about it and decide whether you want to trust it or not. You can also look up the headline. Are other big news outlets saying the same thing?

After going through these steps, if it seems trustworthy, read the tweet a bit more thoroughly and check if it still seems okay. If so, then you’ve sifted through a tweet. Congrats! This method is quick, simple, and effective. Be sure to use it every time you are unsure about a post! Pretty soon, you’ll get better at telling what is true and what is fake.

Remember that the most important thing to remember is to NOT share anything that is fake, or you will just become part of the problem. Don’t forget to SIFT!