Doctored images. Misleading memes. Outlandish headlines that link to dubiously-sourced blog posts.
We all have at least one friend or family member flooding our social media feeds with low-quality, inaccurate information. But is there any way we can convince them to stop?
The News Co/Lab has labeled this “the grandmother problem.”
Now, I happen to think that’s a bit unfair to grandmothers. In my experience, some of the worst offenders are middle-aged men and my millennial peers. Regardless, it’s on us to start encouraging these folks to be more careful about what they share.
Start a Conversation, Not a Confrontation
To begin, it’s important to resist the urge to call your dad out over dinner or to blame your cousin for singlehandedly ruining Facebook for you at Christmas. They’ll probably just get defensive.
A better approach involves asking them how they decide what to share on social media. Do they ever worry that what they’re sharing might not be true? Rather than throwing accusations around, bring the topic up in conversation and listen to what they have to say.
There are many reasons why people share false information online. Plenty of people are unwitting sharers, but some share knowingly. They might think they’re just calling attention to inaccuracies. Maybe they do it to make people mad. Understanding someone’s current habits and motivations will help you identify where things are going wrong and make it easier to start pointing them in the right direction.
Understand the Consequences
You should also try to make your friend or family member understand that there are real consequences when inaccurate information spreads online. Per this PEW Research Center report, nearly 7 in 10 Americans think “made-up news” has impacted our confidence in government. About 4 in 10 Americans have chosen to cut back on news altogether. Every time we share something without verifying its credibility, we contribute to these numbers.
If concern for civic health won’t get through to them, find consequences that will. If they’re interested in health and science, focus on medical misinformation. When parents are poisoning their children to “cure” autism and doctors are expressing concern that viral outbreaks can worsen thanks to fake cures and treatments that circulate on social media, the need for us all to be more careful should start to become clear.
Emphasize Ease
Finally, remind them that vetting information is not that hard. Reverse image searches can be done quickly. Visiting sites like Snopes or FactCheck.org will show them if something they found on social media has already been debunked. Taking a moment to answer some simple questions or do some light fact-checking before deciding whether or not to share something can go a long way in stopping the spread of misinformation.
If they can see how easy this is, they might just give it a try.
