Why Twitter’s New Fact-Checking Tool Reassures Me

Summary

The author expresses relief and reassurance about Twitter's new fact-checking feature, which they believe is a significant step in combating the spread of fake news and misinformation, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Abstract

The article discusses the author's concerns about the proliferation of fake news on social media platforms, especially Twitter, and its potential to cause real-world harm, as exemplified by the 'Pizzagate' incident. The author, who had previously deactivated their Twitter account due to the echo chamber effect and the spread of misinformation, has returned to the platform following the introduction of Twitter's fact-checking tool. This tool is seen as a critical development in the fight against fake news, as it provides users with easy access to verified information, thereby enabling them to make informed judgments. The author highlights the dangers of fake news during the coronavirus pandemic, citing examples of misinformation that could lead to mass hysteria and unnecessary panic. Twitter's fact-checking feature is praised for aggregating reliable sources and allowing users to contrast different viewpoints without navigating away from the platform, which the author believes is a move towards ending the 'post-truth era.'

Opinions

The author views the spread of fake news as a serious issue that can lead to dangerous consequences, such as the shooting incident related to 'Pizzagate.'
Twitter's retweet function is seen as exacerbating the echo chamber effect, which helps fake news to thrive.
The author is particularly concerned about the impact of misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizing the need for fact-checking to prevent panic and harm.
The introduction of Twitter's fact-checking tool is welcomed as a reassuring development that encourages the author to reactivate their Twitter account.
The author appreciates that Twitter's fact-checking provides users with direct access to credible sources, facilitating informed decision-making without the platform assuming the role of a publisher.
The author disagrees with the argument that Twitter should be legally treated as a publisher due to its fact-checking efforts, stating that the platform is merely aggregating information for users to judge.
The author is optimistic that Twitter's initiative could mark the beginning of the end for the 'post-truth era,' suggesting that fact-checking could relegate fake news to a minor historical footnote.

The reason I returned to Twitter … two deactivated accounts later

Fake news scares me. When ‘fake news’ first became a thing in 2016, I never thought it would be an issue. It was relatively easy to determine fact from fiction and I thought to myself, “surely nobody would believe that there was an illicit child sex ring in the basement of a pizza place?”. Yet, ‘Pizzagate’ led to a shooting that never should have happened.

Twitter is a micro-blogging site and retweets exacerbate the echo chamber effect that fake news thrives on. The possibility that fabricated information may be validated by a significant volume of retweets and thus increasingly regarded as the truth is a reality that I did not want to be a part of. The potency of fake news horrifies me and I was glad that I had deactivated my Twitter account years before (I was embarrassed by the nonsense I was tweeting in my teenage years).

Fake News can be Endangering

Baseless allegations amid a pandemic can lead to mass hysteria and more panic buying that are unnecessary and disruptive. In the past few months, I have variously been forwarded misinformation (I am bolding this word in case you think the following bullet points are facts, they are not) regarding coronavirus along the lines of:

Holding your breath for ten seconds is an inexpensive way to check whether you are infected

Chickens are spreading the coronavirus, stop eating chicken rice (a local delicacy here)

Coronavirus can be ‘killed’ at low temperatures

Gargling with salt can kill the Coronavirus while it is still localised to your throat

Due to the novelty of the coronavirus, there is still much uncertainty surrounding the virus and I could not rely on my instincts or knowledge to determine the truth. I had to fact-check and subsequently debunk these untruths to protect my loved ones. In the process, I discovered that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has an excellent page that counters all the ‘myths’ you will probably ever find about the coronavirus. Still, it baffles me why anyone would make the effort to create infographics and PDF slides to mislead and potentially harm unsuspecting individuals.

Fact-Checking is Finally Coming to Social Media

With all the hassle that goes into fact-checking, it would have been nice if I could call out fake news with just a tap. This morning, I woke up to the pleasant surprise that Twitter has done just that and I cannot be more relieved. This development alone was a sufficient final nudge for me to return to Twitter for the third time running.

Twitter introduced fact-checking on two of President Trump’s tweets as shown below:

I tried to embed Trump’s tweet but the fact-checking function doesn’t appear so a screenshot will have to suffice.

In this case, Twitter’s fact-checking merely eliminates the cumbersome step of Googling ‘mail-in ballots’ for users — which I sure hope you were going to do anyway— while ensuring users do not navigate away from the application. It is a win-win situation for both Twitter’s developers and regular users such as you and I.

Upon tapping on ‘get the facts about mail-in ballots’, the following is what appears:

Notably, Twitter cites articles written by fact-checkers employed by reliable media sources instead of simply labelling a tweet as ‘fake news’.

The argument that “if they have now decided to exercise an editorial role like a publisher then they should no longer be shielded from liability & treated as publishers under the law” is invalid. Twitter is shepherding information and placing them side by side for users to make an informed judgement. Aggregating relevant information is something all social media platforms do. Twitter is certainly not telling you what or how to think. Even the phrase “unsubstantiated claim” instead of “fake news” is a neutral term that tells readers that “hey, this tweet is unsupported but here is what other media sources are saying”.

Although it is unclear whether Twitter intends to enforce fact-checking across the board, it is a consequential move by a major social media platform. We have enabled fake news for far too long and it is time to move on from this so-called ‘post-truth era’ and make fake news a blip in history, one tweet at a time.