We all know that misinformation in various forms – misunderstandings, mistakes, “marketing”, deliberately false information, fake stories, fake facts, conspiracy theories etc. exist in all forms of the media but seem to be more prevalent on social media, as anyone can create and spread falsehood for whatever reason, with little effort.
Marianna Spring, who works for the BBC investigated to find out just who starts such viral misinformation and who spreads it. She found the following:
- The Joker.
Anyone who shares a fake story as a joke, but people can miss the joke and spread the story believing it’s true.
- The Scammer.
Criminals who deliberately deceive in order to get victims to buy fake or non-existent goods, hand over personal information etc. in order to make money at their expense.
- Politicians
Many politicians will twist words and facts to suit their own purposes.
- Conspiracy theorists
For whatever reason, some people love conspiracy theories and will believe even outrageous conspiracy claims rather than look at simple explanations for things that happen.
- Insiders
An individual who claims to be from a trustworthy source, but it can’t be proven if they are. Some of the worst Coronavirus conspiracy lies were spread by people believing they were following insider information from health workers.
- Insiders
An individual who claims to be from a trustworthy source, but it can’t be proven if they are. Some of the worst Coronavirus conspiracy lies were spread by people believing they were following insider information from health workers.
Friends and relatives are some of the biggest spreaders of misinformation and when a celebrity with a large social media following gets involved, it can spread like crazy.
If you have any experiences with these scams do let me know, by email.
