Assoc. Prof. Dr. Aylin Tutgun Ünal, evaluating Twitter's withdrawal from the '2022 Enhanced Code of Practice on Disinformation' protocol, which is widely and heavily used by large masses, points out that Twitter carries great responsibility regarding disinformation. Ünal emphasizes that disinformation is a problem that needs to be solved through international cooperation, stating that a country vulnerable to disinformation may face a digital war. Ünal also warns that individually, we need to manage the process of verifying digital information sources well.
Üsküdar Üniversitesi Faculty of Communication, Department of Journalism faculty member Assoc. Prof. Dr. Aylin Tutgun Ünal made evaluations regarding Twitter's decision to withdraw from the '2022 Enhanced Code of Practice on Disinformation' protocol signed between the European Union and social media platforms.
The ability of individuals to freely share their views led to information pollution and disinformation
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Aylin Tutgun Ünal stated that new media technologies, which emerged with Web 2.0 technologies, created new communication environments with intense interaction. "An example of this is social media platforms widely used worldwide. The motivations for using social media include socializing, entertainment, and gaining appreciation by influencing others. The ability of individuals to freely share their views has led to the spread of incorrect information and news, information pollution, and disinformation, establishing itself as a new problem of our era," she said.
Disinformation is resorted to for purposes such as drawing attention and managing perception
Ünal stated that information and news sharing today mostly takes place through digital channels. "The inclusion of social media among the daily habits of the masses has led to news consumption habits also occurring on social media platforms. Activities such as instant news reception, constantly checking social media to keep up with the agenda, and following current personal information shares frequently occur. The issue of verifying the accuracy of these shares has also come to the forefront, becoming a necessity. Twitter, in particular, is frequently checked by individuals as a social media application that stands out for instant information, news, and opinion sharing. Disinformation is resorted to in many news items for purposes such as attracting attention, getting more clicks, and managing perception. Therefore, Twitter's fulfillment of certain responsibilities within its administrative scope comes to the agenda," she explained.
When we don't verify the accuracy of information, we enter the sphere of disinformation
"Every day, we are exposed to disinformation through a bombardment of information shared on social media," Ünal continued.
"Especially when we do not verify whether the information we encounter is correct and from which source it is shared, and when we do not recognize fake accounts, we enter the sphere of disinformation. We even spread disinformation by resharing posts, writing comments, or making them visible in others' feeds with likes. To protect ourselves from and combat disinformation, we first need to understand what it is correctly."
It's disinformation if there's 'malice and intent'
Ünal noted that disinformation aims to mislead individuals maliciously and intentionally. "It can be manipulative or completely fabricated. On the other hand, while trying to avoid disinformation, individuals can also be exposed to misinformation. Generally, while the correctness or incorrectness of information is an element that needs to be verified, we can say it is disinformation if there is 'malice and intent.' The dissemination of disinformation aims to manage perception with fabricated information, as in conspiracy theories. Especially during periods of social chaos, when society is occupied with one problem, another problem is created through efforts to disrupt social unity. Thus, the fight against disinformation comes back to the agenda. Misinformation, being the unintentional sharing of false information without malice in the digital environment, requires more careful behavior regarding verification. Since it doesn't directly attract attention like conspiracy theories, it can seem correct to an individual at first glance. Therefore, in addition to understanding disinformation and related concepts, we need to make it a habit to individually verify the accuracy of information from different sources," she stated.
Disinformation is a problem that needs to be solved through international cooperation
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Aylin Tutgun Ünal pointed out that Twitter carries great responsibility regarding disinformation. "Disinformation is a problem that needs to be solved through international cooperation. Therefore, it should participate in international agreements and take a stance in favor of our country. Otherwise, it is possible to say that a country vulnerable to disinformation will face a new digital war. A source of false information is one of the biggest problems for a country. The 'Network Society,' introduced by Manuel Castells, is defined as a form of communication that guides digital culture. Being a network society benefits from its global advantages. At the same time, its disadvantages are being combated. Influencing social thought through perception management, diverting masses, and even forming society's own truths through the loss of true/false information, also called post-truth, are dynamics of the network society. We can say that it is possible to pull these dynamics to the disadvantaged side with disinformation," she evaluated.
Those responsible are expected to be part of all cooperation related to disinformation awareness
Reminding that Twitter is heavily used by large masses, Ünal said, "Those responsible are expected to act with awareness of disinformation and its dangers and to be part of all cooperation related to disinformation awareness. Therefore, Twitter should reconsider its decision to withdraw from the 'Disinformation Protocol' signed between the European Union and social media platforms. In this regard, statements made by the Directorate of Communications in our country also indicate that the fight will be continued within the scope of state institutions. Individually, we can conclude that we need to pay more attention to posts, especially on Twitter, from now on."
Individually, we must be able to manage the process of verifying digital information sources well
Ünal stated that Turkey is a country aware of the fight against disinformation through its efforts, both with fact-checking lines and within state institutions. "Our country can participate in international cooperation protocols and sign a goodwill agreement independently of social media platforms. Internationally, international cooperation efforts against future disinformation threats will minimize harm. Individually, we also need to be able to manage the process of verifying digital information sources well," she said, listing the verification steps to avoid disinformation:
-Check the source of information shared on social media.
-Question whether the information or news shared on social media exists in other sources.
-Protect ourselves by being aware of fake accounts.
-Check the relevance of shared images to the context.
-Acquire reliable sources for reference.
-Follow official sources.
-Share information after verifying its accuracy.