Understanding Information Cascades and Misinformation
https://apnews.com/article/the-facebook-papers-covid-vaccine-misinformation-c8bbc569be7cc2ca583dadb4236a0613
The process of information cascades is similar to how misinformation spreads on the internet. As a formal definition, information cascades are when people conform to what everybody else is doing, even when they privately don’t align. This “following of the crowd” often happens in large groups, however can be easily stopped if someone steps in with a bigger reputation but alternative opinion. Similarly, misinformation on the internet often goes viral, with crowds of people following mass opinion until a more authoritative force steps in.
To combat misinformation, companies should prioritize trustworthy and reliable sources (for example, the World Health Organization and other international research bodies). We can see this take effect in a recent Facebook algorithm change, where instead of ranking posts based on the engagement of likes, views, and reshares, it ranks based on trustworthiness. The positive effects are already showing – there was a 12% decrease in misinformed content and an 8% increase in trustworthy content! As a result, users reported a 7% decrease in negative interactions with the website. However, Facebook acted too slowly and misinformation, at that time about the coronavirus, had spiraled out of control.
It’s fascinating to me how there are so many nuances in information cascades. Information cascades can spiral so out of control that not even reputable figures can stop the runaway train of misinformation. Ultimately, information cascades in real life serve as a warning that we shouldn’t make our judgments purely based on what other people are believing, but on a multitude of factors. Furthermore, sometimes it will become too big for us to be able to change the prevailing opinion, no matter how hard we try. Because the internet is such a big and connected place, companies need to be especially careful about how information is handled and spread in the end.