The emergence of fake news dates back years and years ago. Back then, the newspaper was the main channel of spreading misinformation that was primarily political. Today, fake news is reaching more and more audiences as information is now highly available online. Blogs, news, and even social media posts are the channels being used today to spread false content. The reach of information like this is so wide that kids and adults have access to it. If politics was the main subject of false news before, today, false news could be about anything. Some are doing it to make fun of people, criticize, become famous, or get people in trouble. Nevertheless, there is not a positive intention of spreading misinformation.
This phenomenon on social media is becoming alarming and is affecting audiences negatively. Some are experiencing fear because of the wrong information they read about a disease. Some are experiencing discrimination because of the fake news about their race. In the worst-case scenarios, these individuals invest money in illegitimate products or services. Some are traumatized because of the phony news someone spread about them. Overall, fake news is doing nothing good for anyone. Actions should be taken. Otherwise, this will continue and intensify.
Instagram’s Action On False Content
As one of the leading social media platforms in the world, Instagram took note of the spread of false information in its application. There are users who are raising false awareness through videos and photos posted on the platform. Instagram was supposed to be a medium for spreading positivity and creativity. That is why the team which comprised the making of Instagram was alarmed by the escalating fake news all over their platform.
To address this issue, Instagram hired third-party fact-checkers last May 2019. They are working with 45 fact-checkers based in the United States to filter and review misinformation on Instagram. The duplicate checkers are working for Facebook since Facebook owns Instagram services. The goal of this action is to stop the spread of the detected false information or, at the very least, reduce its reach.
The Buying of Instagram Followers Might Help Instagram Meet Their Moral Goals
This action of Instagram stretched their reach as they go global on combating fake content. Instagram’s artificial intelligence software scans its users’ posts, photos, and videos. Third-party fact-checkers are rating these posts, photos, and videos as false or partly false. Once checkers claim as inaccurate or partially false, this content will automatically be invisible when people search for it through the Explore option. Hashtag pages also block posts that are labeled alike. Instagram is using an “image matching” system to detect similar content. This way, the spread of false content diminished immediately as the checkers applied the same labels to imitated content. According to their statement, these labels will appear on every user’s account viewing the same post.
Working side by side, false or partly false content on Instagram will automatically have the same label on Facebook. This feature works vice versa for the two platforms. In order to spread awareness about content like this, the label is linked to verified information about the subject. Through this feature, they will gain factual knowledge about the subject. It gives users a chance to choose which content is worth sharing. Instagram also modified with their feedback options. As they believe this is a community effort, “False Information” is added as feedback for reports to review and detect misinformation.
However, there is always an exception to the rule. As this statement of Instagram spiraled during the US 2020 Election campaign, politicians were spared. This population is exempted from the fact-checking system of Instagram and Facebook. Their posts, false or true, will not be reviewed by the third-party fact-checkers that Instagram is working with. Although politics was the main subject of fake news years ago, this does not seem to alarm the owners. The CEO of Instagram said they are doing this to protect those who genuinely need promotion.
Instagram’s Fight Against Online Bullying
Part of the plan of people who spread fake news is to spread false accusations towards people. False accusations, rude content, and inappropriate statements also spread fast on Instagram. These things are spreading negativity and causing insecurity for the person attacked. As Instagram aims to be a platform of positivity and spread goodness, a new feature is added to fight to bully.
For people who are receiving numerous unkind comments on their posts, Instagram has a solution. With its new feature, you can now remove multiple unsolicited comments with less effort. Blocking and reporting accounts that spread negative and rude comments can now be banished from your posts all at once. This feature became handy for people who have a lot of followers but are also receiving a lot of bashing. On the other hand, highlighting positive comments to spread good vibes is also possible.
So as not to see posts and comments that can emotionally wreck a person, Instagram lets you choose who can tag and mention you. You can choose to be tagged by people you are following, no one or everyone. This feature applies to captions, comments, and stories. There is no need to read about hateful comments that people are making about you. Although it may save you of the lovely mentions, at least you have an option of how you will manage being tagged.
Appealing A False Information Rating
Fact-checkers are not perfect. Even with using an AI, some information may not be as accurate as it should be. Since Instagram uses image-matching technology, some photos may not be entirely fake. If you believe that your post is not misinformation, there is a way to appeal to Instagram. However, it should be noted that this is only applicable to posts that are eligible to appeal. You would have to send an email to the fact-checkers organization to demand. This email will be sent directly to their group so they can review and rate your post once again.
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