Experts state that the spread of information with the deliberate aim of misleading and creating social chaos is called disinformation, and social media is very effective in this regard.
Underlining that there are different reasons for believing misleading content, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Aylin Tutgun Ünal said, “Individuals may support shared information without verifying its accuracy, to reinforce the emotion they are feeling. The need to belong, along with a low level of digital literacy, can also lead to the spread of false information.” Assoc. Prof. Dr. Aylin Tutgun Ünal emphasized that to prevent the spread of manipulative information, it is first necessary to acquire the habit of verification, and advised, “If there is a habit of believing the first content encountered on a topic, it is advisable to give up this habit and not to overuse social media.”
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Aylin Tutgun Ünal, a faculty member at Üsküdar University's Faculty of Communication, addressed social media posts that mislead society and provided explanations on how these posts spread.
Disinformation Aims to Create Social Chaos
Stating that many posts circulating on social media spread rapidly and can quickly lead to social chaos, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Aylin Tutgun Ünal said, “Posts generally serve the conflict between two views. A situation or person is either approved or, if not approved, is subjected to lynching, which we also call cancel culture.”
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Aylin Tutgun Ünal pointed out that the rapid spread of content without verifying its accuracy, the inability of explanations about false information to stop its spread, and the hate speech of polarized groups reveal the disinformation effects of social media on a societal scale. She stated, “Disinformation deliberately aims to mislead; since it is done with the aim of creating social chaos, we can say these are malicious posts. False information, on the other hand, refers to incorrect news or information shared unintentionally. However, if a post is deliberately shared with the intent to mislead, knowing it is false, it can turn into a disinformation effect.”
Negative Mood Increases the Spread of Fake News
Touching upon the connection between believing misleading content and emotional state, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Aylin Tutgun Ünal said, “Individuals may support shared information without verifying its accuracy, to reinforce the emotion they are feeling. This situation is especially common during periods of social chaos.”
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Aylin Tutgun Ünal reminded that during crisis periods where a negative emotional atmosphere spreads, fake (troll) accounts emerge that deliberately work to make the situation even more inextricable, and continued:
“Suddenly, fake information, or 'fake news' as it's called, enters circulation with added negative mood, and people can become incited. Social networks have a side that serves emotional spread. For example; according to research, content containing a negative mood spreads 6 times faster than positive content, affecting individuals. Today, natural disasters such as earthquakes, fires, and floods combine with disinformation, activating misuse through the spread of negative mood. In such situations, the need for common emotion and thought sharing to establish unity in society is replaced by polarization and hate speech on social media. This can not only delay preventive activities in a disaster situation due to wrong interventions but also lead to an increase in the scale of the disaster.”
The Desire for Fast News Leads to Skipping the 'Verification' Step!
“Another explanation for believing misleading content is the need to belong, along with a low level of digital literacy,” said Assoc. Prof. Dr. Aylin Tutgun Ünal, adding that people's need to belong to a group and their belief in shared content without verification for approval, and their involvement in the spread chain through interaction, also emerge as an example of problematic social media use.
Emphasizing that the most striking reason for believing misleading content is impatience, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Aylin Tutgun Ünal stated, “Since verifying the accuracy of shared information or news takes time, even individuals with a high level of digital media literacy often cannot apply what they know. This is, in fact, one of the most tragic reasons. Especially in urban life, those who want to fit many activities into their day are seen to believe the first news that appears on social media, which they use as a fast news source, instead of verifying the information. When awareness combines with the need for urgent information, verification can be skipped.”
We Must Acquire the Habit of Verifying Information!
To prevent the spread of false or manipulative information, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Aylin Tutgun Ünal stated that it is first necessary to be aware of the dangers that may arise. She concluded by saying, “It is important to know that social media has not only individual but also societal impacts in the bigger picture. Afterwards, it is advisable to incorporate the habit of verification more during periods of social chaos, to pay attention to which account a post is made from to protect against troll accounts, to give up the habit of believing the first content encountered on a topic, and not to overuse social media.”