Social Media and False Information Cascades
Many people like to use websites such as Reddit, YouTube, and Facebook to share information that they feel other people should know. While people intend for the information to be true, oftentimes it is false. For example, posts about celebrities dying get shared rapidly on Twitter and Facebook, while the celebrities are still alive and well. It only takes a small number of people not checking for proof in order to start a false information cascade. People who keep sharing this false information never check the facts, as they assume that it must be true considering how much it has been shared.
This past week, a video of a social experiment went viral of a drunk girl being approached by two guys who, according to the video, attempted to take her home. However, what the original video does not state is that the two men who did approach her were actors for the video. These actors were told that they have to act like they want to take her home in her drunk state. This slanderous video further tried to prove that all guys are rapists and was promoted by everybody sharing the video, without the people sharing it knowing that the men were acting.
The ease with which false information such as this portrays how quickly a false information cascade can begin. One person makes a fake video of a controversial event, and it quickly gets shared. The difference between sharing information by mouth and information by video however, is that people are more likely to believe something if they can see it. Thus, people take what they can see as being true without questioning the facts. In the future, in order to prevent false information cascades, people should always do their research before mindlessly going with the crowd.