Misinformation has been a recurring topic of concern during the 2024 US election, and experts say there is unlikely to be an end to it anytime soon.
This is due to what they call the “continuous drip” that comes not only from foreign powers, but is also spread by the Americans themselves.
Brandon Wells, former acting director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, said in an interview with Global News that as some misinformation spreads on social media, it has become harder to stop.
He added: “This is a constant drip, a constant push of information into the bloodstream here in America, and this overall has a corrosive effect.”
“They hope this will further divide Americans because they believe a divided America is weaker and less able to stand up to them around the world.”
Cases like the viral video that circulated on social media last week It showed a person who described himself as a Haitian immigrant claiming to have voted multiple times In two Georgia counties for Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris.
US intelligence officials said last Friday that the video was fake and the work of “Russian influence actors,” echoing statements made by Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on Thursday.
“This is not true and is an example of the targeted misinformation we have seen in this election and others.” A statement from Raffensperger said. Foreign interference is likely an attempt to sow discord and chaos on the eve of the 2024 presidential elections.”
The spread of misinformation by Americans could be more problematic than by foreign powers, in part because of social media inaction, said Jennifer Stromer-Galley, a professor at Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies.
She said: “Social media platforms do not monitor and remove problematic claims on their platforms as happened in 2016 and 2020.”
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He added: “So what concerns me, for example, is that there is misinformation being circulated about possible voter fraud. These types of claims have been monitored and flagged on the platforms as potentially false or misleading or even removed, in addition to To the accounts that were circulating information, and this does not happen this election season.
Although it is not clear how much impact these disinformation campaigns could have on election results, they could still have an impact on public opinion of the election.
“They are useful tools to further inflame and sow discord within the United States,” Wells said. “To undermine the population’s trust in our institutions and our democracy and show no signs of abating, so the threats are more aggressive than ever when it comes to disinformation.”
Earlier this week, US officials warned that they were seeing an unprecedented level of disinformation from foreign powers — particularly from Russia and Iran — and as this type of information spreads, experts say it is becoming harder to stop.
As recently as the day before the US election, federal officials pointed to a recent article published by Russian actors falsely claiming that US officials across presidential swing states were hatching a plan to commit fraud, with a video also falsely depicting an interview with someone claiming election fraud. In Arizona.
With so much misinformation spreading, Stromer-Galley said it can make it difficult for the average American to discern what’s real and what’s not, and what you can trust.
She said the best way to avoid misleading people is to be aware of current events and affairs.
“This means consuming a variety of news sources and being a little skeptical when you see something that doesn’t seem quite right,” she said.
However, this is not easy, she points out, and when this information is spread by family or friends, it can “short-circuit” critical thinking skills and lead to sharing it yourself.
The algorithms in social media don’t help either, with Wells noting that if you’re on the political right like Republicans, you’re likely to get more information that supports that position, and the same can be said for those on the left like Democrats.
He said this is why people need a level of skepticism and look for reliable sources, but in addition, more action must be taken by social media platforms where information is circulating and by US officials at all levels of government to disclose it. These campaigns.
“There should be more of an onus on the public to try to dig a little deeper, try to understand where the information is coming from and try to figure out where you can get accurate information,” Wells said.
&Copy 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
