Author

Wajeeha Ahmad

Year

2017

Publisher

CNN

DOI/Link

View Source

Abstract

The Internet has become a fundamental source of information exchange in the 21st century. In particular, online social media platforms are becoming increasingly important tools for communication and political discourse in the United States and abroad. This medium presents a novel, unprecedented way for people to become more informed and civically involved, but simultaneously opens democratic societies up to potential interference by foreign, malevolent actors who manipulate the information that social media users consume and use to make decisions. As an example of social media influencing the opinions and actions of U.S. residents, foreign Russian actors were able to organize a protest and a simultaneous counter-protest in Houston, Texas during the 2016 U.S. presidential election campaign using Facebook groups operated by a Kremlin-linked troll farm from Saint Petersburg.1 Other instances of foreign influences include individuals abroad selling American political advertisements for monetary gain, social bots being used to give the false impression of grassroots public support, and in general, the rapid spread of false, sensational media. Given the ubiquitous role that online platforms play in shaping socio-political discourse and outcomes, we propose a government-supported approach for combating the spread of fake news online by verifying the identities of U.S. residents on social media platforms.

Language

English

Keywords

Information Literacy