Social media plays a significant role in the ways in which individuals are exposed to or receive various forms of information, which in turn, has exposed how serious of a threat/concern misinformation is in the world of media. Because of the growing presence of misinformation on social media platforms, companies have decided to respond to the issue by introducing effective strategies that combat the creation and spread of misleading content and false information. Implementing some of these strategies has allowed social media users to be better protected from manipulation and false information.
TikTok decided to address the efforts being made to limit the presence of misinformation on the platform inside its policy. According to a Newsroom article from Tiktok, there are over a dozen fact-checking partners that take the time to review the vast amount of content that is created each day. Over 30 different languages are utilized to check content, and this is one of the more substantial ways in which TikTok is working to combat the spread of misinformation. Tiktok has also made sure to stay intentional when it comes to enforcing the rules on disinformation as it relates to public safety and election tampering or other misleading information in the political realm. Also, the new launch of “Footnotes” on Tiktok became a great addition to the existing strategies in place for mis-and-dis information, highlighting how collaborative discourse can help present content in an accurate light.
X, which is formerly known as Twitter, features policies that address authenticity and it allows community spaces the opportunity to bring down the amount of misinformation spreading. The “X Help Center” page on “Authenticity” highlights how there is no toleration for inauthentic accounts, behaviors, and content. A feature best known as “Community Notes” is a community space that allows individuals to share with one another and provide context for content that may be misleading or simply false. An article by author Aimee Levitt details how instead of using fact-checking services, crowdchecking works well to provide differing perspectives and enrich information that may be misleading or concerning. The article discusses how less misinformation is encouraged or allowed to spread because of the presence of “peer-reviewed” corrections, which create a hesitation among others to post inaccurate information.
Examples of the implemented policies of both platforms are visible within the features and/or public tools available on each. The Footnotes feature on Tiktok as well as the Community Notes section on X both allow social media users to add information to certain claims, or even point out how misinformation influences thoughts, beliefs, and your way of life. Instead of simply removing inaccurate information, these features give the audience a chance to correct each other’s claims and form healthier beliefs and opinions because of it. For example, on X there was a post made that claimed a Korean woman was attempting to jump from the twentieth floor and end her life, but was rescued by men. This post was not completely false as the video had not been altered and it truthfully showed the woman and the men who pulled her up. The issue was the actual time the event took place. A section that says “Readers added context” featured a statement that simply said “This incident did not happen today, but 11 months ago”. Regardless of the event being authentic, it was just as important for the context to be updated to reflect reality in all aspects.
Although there is no denying the efforts brought forth by both of these social media platforms to help slow down the spread and eliminate the presence of misinformation, the overall success of their implemented policies is not definite. While using Tiktok, I have noticed that many of the misleading pieces of content play on emotions and/or repetition. Presenting content that is entertaining to the eyes and doesn’t seem poorly put together hides misinformation well also. If a video or image evokes an emotion, you are more inclined to share it without pausing to research it further. If you happen to see the same piece of content over and over, you will eventually believe it to be true regardless of what the real facts are. I remember sharing a video with a family member about how cracking your knuckles causes arthritis, because it awoke strong emotions within me. But after doing some research, I discovered that people who crack their knuckles have about the same chance of getting arthritis as others. I had shared a piece of content impulsively, just for it to be inaccurate. The presence of Footnotes and Community Notes can be helpful in the sense of allowing group-based discussions and corrections, but when Tiktok’s algorithm pushes the same content onto the ForYou page, it can make it easier for individuals to lean into misleading information as they continue to see it so frequently.
On X, misinformation travels through breaking news, posts based on opinions, and even live video reactions. The reposts feature on this app is utilized without many people stopping to confirm whether or not what they have shared is factual. X’s Community Notes is extremely helpful in terms of providing context and correcting various claims, but first impressions are so important. If an audience is not presented with a factual claim in the very beginning, it becomes harder for them to accept what is factual after being exposed to false claims constantly. Speed is important for a platform such as X, and I was able to see that clearly when I was sent an image of the missing pilot that had been rescued. I saw it and was skeptical considering I have had a large exposure to AI images, but I watched as it spread like wildfire all throughout X and the internet. When it was later determined to be a fabricated image, it was hard for individuals to come to terms with that reality. Speed is definitely important when it comes to combating misinformation.
I believe it could be beneficial for both of these social media platforms to focus on providing stronger notices/warnings and actually detailing the reasons why certain content is flagged for being “misleading” or is “still under review”. Many social media users will share and engage with content without looking any deeper into it. If there were something that required users to take a small pause to read or research the content they are consuming, there could be a significant decrease in the amount of impulsive sharing that takes place. Transparency is vital when it comes to social media. Letting audiences know why certain content has specific labels allows them to enhance their media literacy skills and learn how to control their social media usage better. All in all, investing in media literacy tools that will help audiences recognize what exists to deceive them rather than headlines, misleading videos, and so much more is something both of these platforms could do. Of course it is critical to monitor the amount of misinformation that comes through your platform, but it is just as critical for individuals to know how to think critically and apply it to the content they are presented with regularly. Investing in media literacy tools would be one of the greatest ways to improve existing efforts to combat misinformation.
3rianna’s Way 
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