Use your BS detector when verifying social media content
By Hannah Barling
Just a tip.
That’s how Lauren Klinger of Poynter Institute NewsU says you should view content on social media as — as if someone was calling the newsroom in 1975 and giving a news tip.
Social media verification is a process, but not a difficult one. Klinger said perpetuating rumors and spreading falsehoods destroys credibility, but debunking them builds credibility.
“No one remembers you because you shared that content really fast — they remember you pointing out that it was fake,” Klinger said.
Verification is a conscious effort. Social media differs from other media production in the way that it is produced and the way it can be fact checked.
You should pursue verification on two tracks: the content and the source. A few questions to ask yourself to verify the content are:
- Where did this information come from?
- Where did I first see it?
- Of what value is it to my audience?
- Does this seem credible or does it look altered?
- Who else has this story or piece of content?
A few questions to ask yourself to verify the source are:
- Who is this person?
- Where does this person work?
- What social networks is this person part of?
- What does this person usually post about?
- What does this person have to gain from publishing or sharing this?
Just like anything else, you have to practice verifying content on social media. Klinger said you should be looking for something that will set off your “bullshit detector.”
“You have to consciously work against what your brain already wants to do, because you want to believe things that are awesome,” Klinger said.
She gave the example of a photo of a solar eclipse, posted by @Globe_Pics on Twitter, which apparently got the photo from @itvnews. The photo was an incredible shot from an angle almost even with moon and sun overlapping. Looking at the photo with an eye like the critical copy editor you are, you would think it was a little too good to be true.
Indeed, the photo ended up being fake. Klinger said the easiest way to verify the space eclipse photo was to outsource the debunking (i.e. checking the replies to the tweet) instead of immediately trying to verify. She said it is easier to debunk something and harder to verify it.
When you come up with an example of social media verification, especially with something that has gone viral, brainstorm questions about the source and the content. Chances are high that somebody has done something similar.
Tools to consider using to help you answer questions about verifying things on social media include:
- Google reverse image search
- Social Mention
- Wolfram Alpha
- Topsy
- WhoIs Lookup
- Photoshop
- Social Mention
- Snopes
In short, social media verification is a process that should be practiced. Be skeptical.
“Our brains want those things to be true so we don’t want to question them, we want to trust people. But stop it,” Klinger said.
Hannah Barling is a student at the University of Kansas.
