Recent social media posts about the family at the centre of the current Covid outbreak have highlighted misinformation on platforms such as Facebook. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Recent social media posts about the family at the centre of the current Covid outbreak have highlighted misinformation on platforms such as Facebook. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Northlanders are being urged not to share posts on social media without doing some basic checks of where the information has come from and whether it's genuine.
The appeal comes after a Facebook post about the family at the centre of the Auckland outbreak was widely shared last weekend.
Thepost was quickly debunked and its claims branded as ''vile'' by Health Minister Chris Hipkins, but not before it had been read by many thousands of New Zealanders.
However, even the most basic check — which would have taken any social media user little more than a minute — would have revealed that the post came from an anonymous Facebook page promoting far-right and racist views.
The same page has a post, for example, advising landlords not to rent homes to Māori tenants.
The page's so-called transparency section states it is run by two people in New Zealand but offers no other clues as to who is behind it.
The Advocate has chosen not to repeat the claims made in the post to avoid spreading them further.
It's only the latest example of misinformation in the Covid-19 ''infodemic'', in which people are inundated with so much information, false and genuine, they don't know what to believe.
Even politicians aren't immune. In recent weeks both Deputy Opposition Leader Gerry Brownlee and Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters have made Covid claims they were unable to back up.
Brownlee later backed away from his suggestion the government knew in advance about the latest outbreak.
An alarming feature of the rumour about the Auckland family was that it appeared, according to Hipkins, to be deliberately orchestrated rather than caused by people unintentionally passing on wrong information.
Social media users need to be wary of increasing levels of misinformation, Netsafe says. Photo / File
Spotting misinformation*
■ Be sceptical of everything you read. Ask yourself: Who posted it, and why? What expertise do they have? Are they writing about something they witnessed or are they passing on hearsay? ■ Do some fact-checking (e.g. on snopes.com) and find out where the original post came from. Was it a reputable website or an anonymous Facebook page or fake account? ■ What else has the source shared in the past? Do they have an agenda? ■ Does the post use sensational, inflammatory or divisive language? ■ If an image is used, has been altered? Is it trying to get your attention or manipulate your emotions? ■ Fake news often claims the media/government/unnamed groups are trying to suppress a story, and urge you to share it ''to get the truth out''. That was also the case with last weekend's post. ■ Misinformation often claims to come from a source close to the government/a doctor/someone high up in the police. Be sceptical if the source isn't named. If the source is named check if that person really exists, and if they really said what's claimed. ■ Recognise your own emotional responses. We're more likely to share a post, or skip fact-checking, if it aligns with our views. Ask yourself: Am I being played? ■ If you're not sure a post is true, don't share it. ■ Report misleading posts, scams and fake accounts to Facebook (click on 'report post') or, if it's in a group, the page administrator.
Coping with the infodemic*
A constant flood of news and social media posts can be overwhelming and lead to a sense of helplessness. Ways to reduce the stress include:
■ Seek out places online where you can pick and choose what you read (e.g. news sites) rather than places where information comes at you non-stop (such as social media). That may give a greater sense of control. ■ Take regular tech breaks, e.g. by avoiding computers and phones for one day a week. ■ Remind yourself you won't miss anything critical if you switch off for a day. The news will still be there when you log back on. *Sources: Netsafe, firstdraftnews.org Netsafe chief executive Martin Cocker said he had no doubt the amount of misinformation online was increasing.
''Events going back to 2016 have proven the effectiveness of misinformation campaigns on social media platforms, so people are definitely taking advantage of that for malicious purposes,'' he said.
Cocker said it was hard to understand why people would spread false information about people at the centre of news events, though there had always been a culture of online trolling which had no purpose other than to disrupt.
''There will be an aspect of that which overlaps with misinformation ... What's important is that people recognise how much misinformation is being distributed. Once you're aware of the volume of it you're likely to be more wary of what's presented to you.''
In 2015, after a number of deaths related to online bullying, the government passed the Harmful Digital Communications Act. The law aims to prevent harm to individuals by digital communications and provide the victims with a means of redress.
The maximum penalty is two years' jail or a fine up to $50,000 for individuals or $200,000 for a company.
In this case, however, a police spokeswoman said the social media post was not being investigated further.
Experts are divided as to whether the flood of misinformation has increased with New Zealand's second Covid outbreak.
This time, however, they say there is less of a consensus about how to deal with Covid-19.
That lack of consensus — which is particularly strong in Australia and the US, and is filtering through to New Zealand — offers fertile ground for misinformation and conspiracy theories to take hold.
