
Probing Facebook's Misinformation Machine - sebwi
https://www.getrevue.co/profile/themarkup/issues/probing-facebook-s-misinformation-machine-241739
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pjc50
We should apply the lessons we're all learning from real world epidemiology
against all the harmful memes:

\- use masks => use adblock to avoid contaminants

\- cleaning => regularly review who you follow. You're allowing them write
access to your brain, and there's some evidence that the subconscious hangs on
to ideas even if you intellectually know they're not true

\- social distancing => mute, block, or defriend superspreaders

\- testing => get things checked by a credible authority that's outside the
disinfo bubble

\- self-isolation => get off Facebook and encourage others to do so, unless
you've already managed to disinfect your feed to an adequate extent

The virus merely gains life from spreading. The disinformation is being
actively injected by political actors, some of whom (but absolutely not all or
even a majority!) are sponsored by hostile governments; and also by
profiteers. The "bleach drinking" thing didn't come from nowhere, there's a
group out there selling it as "miracle mineral solution". Straight old
fashioned toxic snake oil vendors who want your money and don't care about
killing you or your family.

Stay safe.

~~~
laretluval
> get things checked by a credible authority

Who decides what's a credible authority? How about critical thinking instead?

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pjc50
You cannot decide everything by pure reason inside your own head without
referring to the work of others, at which point you've made them an authority
by deciding that they are credible.

You might be able to determine by critical thinking that bleach isn't a
coronavirus cure, but chloroquine? You're going to have to wait for someone to
run a trial and then decide if they're a credible authority.

Applying critical thinking to your choice of sources is both easier and more
important than applying it to their claims.

Have you gone and verified some physical constants yourself, it are you just
accepting authority as to the mass of the electron?

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jlei523
For many years, I resisted from using Facebook. Recently, I started using it
more to connect with friends and family.

And holy shit. The amount of misinformation, fake news, and conspiracy
theories on Facebook is insane. Facebook is a machine that breeds extremists.

I now understand the #deleteFacebook movement much more where I previously
thought it wasn't a big deal.

~~~
shlo22
Twitter also breeds extremist - unlike Facebook the entire reward system on
that site encourages out-extreming each other

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jlei523
Yes agreed. I tried using Twitter to promote my work but I found Twitter to be
even more toxic than Facebook in general and have since quit.

I'd argue that Reddit also does the same thing. On Reddit, you can always find
a community that agrees with your radical thinking. Reddit also has a problem
with groupthink where the upvoting system heavily rewards popular opinion,
even if it's false.

In this day and age, I find that not participating in social networks makes me
a happier and less radical person. If I do partake in them, I limit myself to
generally harmless hobby and work-related communities.

~~~
shlo22
Yep, in Reddit there is organized trolling between subs and many subs have
been banned due to this kind of targeting.

Even the news is based on getting anger clicks so it's hard to escape

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notRobot
I wish more people and outlets would correctly use the terms "misinformation"
and "disinformation".

I understand that they've come to mean the same thing, but the latter term
makes the intent behind the content these refer to much more clear.

[https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/163857/what-
exac...](https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/163857/what-exactly-is-
the-difference-between-misinformation-and-disinformation)

~~~
m463
So Facebook's privacy policy? Disinformation?

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abdj
Thanks to visiting the website, now FB knows I am interested in whatever
category of information 'it' thinks getrevue.co belongs to.

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simonft2
How? Revue shouldn't be passing any information along to Facebook on that
page.

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abdj
The site has FB share button, enough for FB to track.

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lopmotr
People have no business complaining about misinformation while accepting
religion. Religions are of course far more dangerous than "5G causes
coronavirus". But somehow it's now taboo to criticize religions and feels like
we're heading back to the bad old days of blasphemy being a crime.

~~~
dang
Religious flamewar is off topic here, so please don't.

[https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html](https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html)

