How do you spot fake news on social media?
Social media is the hub of all news, both real and fake news. How many people have been “killed off” because of social media? It is so easy to spread rumors on social media that it’s highly dangerous. The reason why governments threaten to shutdown social media apps during tense seasons is because of the influence behind it. But, because you are responsible for what you consume it is important to know how to spot fake news.
1. Is there any credibility?
First of all if the news your getting is from a website, check if the domain name is a credible one or is it random like “.com.co”. Who is the author of the information you’re checking? is it a celebrity writing? Is it a well-known person? If you see a screenshot of a story make sure you Google first before sharing it with anyone.
2. Spot the quality of the news
What is the quality of the news you’re reading? Does it have a lot of spelling mistakes? Does it look cheap and has poor standards? You can always know by the grammar used and quality of the work in general. If it seems like they have no standards then you need to search and find the same information from a credible and known source.
3. Use a fact checking website
If you found yourself on a random website while on social media and you’re doubting the information, verify the info using a fact checking website.
4. Check the source of the news
Where did they get their sources? Did they interview anyone? Do they have any valuable quotes? Is the same information on any credible site like BBC, CNN?
Always remember to not spread fake news unless you have the full story that is true and credible.