Quizzes Test How Well You Can Spot Fake Content On Social Media
We’d all like to think we can spot fake content on social media. But some of the methods used to create it are sophisticated, making it easy for even informed users to be fooled. The good news is that we can educate ourselves on what’s real and what’s a lie
Posted — UpdatedWe’d all like to think we can spot fake content on social media. But some of the methods used to create it are sophisticated, making it easy for even informed users to be fooled.
The good news is that we can educate ourselves on what’s real and what’s a lie in our newsfeeds.
Not only are they a fun way to test our social media savvy, but the quizzes also offer important news literacy lessons we can all benefit from learning.
How Well Do We Know The Social Media Platforms We Use?
Is It Real Or Fake?
Here’s one of the posts from the quiz. The quiz taker has to decide whether the social media post “presents strong, fact-based evidence and is safe to share” or “presents false, misleading or unverified information and is not safe to share.” How would you answer?
Can You Spot Fake Accounts?
Darren L. Linvill, an associate professor of communication at Clemson University and one of the people behind Spot the Troll, told Simplemost that over 750,000 people have taken the Spot the Troll quiz so far, with the average number of correct answers standing at 5 out of 8, which he says is a D-. But don’t feel bad if you don’t ace the test, since it’s a tricky one.
“Honestly, though, I don’t care how people have done on the quiz,” Linvill adds. “I want people to engage with the content.”
Some common elements of fake accounts to look out for, according to Spot the Troll: They often contain photos of attractive women used as profile pictures, they feature little to no personal information and there’s often an overwhelming lack of multi-dimensional views.
4 Steps To Take Before You Share
Here’s a helpful infographic from NLP, which recommends taking four quick steps before sharing something on social media:
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