AI-generated news, quotes, photos on GA election flood social media. See how to spot lies
The 2024 presidential election will be one of the most closely watched American elections in history.
But with it comes a surge of information from all channels. After a while, it can feel like a bad game of telephone, but with real effects.
So, we are breaking down the spread of misinformation about the 2024 election and here’s what Georgians should know.
Social media and AI disinformation
One of the biggest ways we get “fake news” is from social media, where posts can be made by anyone to look a certain way and shared by millions.
“People are sharing news and public affairs information at unprecedented levels, thanks to easy tools on social media apps on their phones. They can do this with a simple tap. And they do it in vast quantities,” said S. Shyam Sundar, a professor at Evan Pugh University.
Additionally, much of the information we consume on social media is not regulated and is made outside of the United States.
According to Penn State Bellisario College of Communications professor Matthew Jordan, several sites that are shared on social media are created by bots and funded by partisans.
“A lot of the major media companies like Meta, Google or Alphabet, Twitter/X, have essentially taken away their guardrails. The policies and tools that were up to protect users from unreliable information are now gone,” said Jordan.
Another hugely influential part of the spread of false information is artificial intelligence (AI). With AI, users can create large amounts of fake content, from doctored photos to videos of things that haven’t happened and false news articles.
There can also be a combination of real information with fake AI photos, which adds to the confusion and spread of misinformation.
So how can we distinguish real from fake and be informed this election season?
Tips for avoiding disinformation
Go back to the basics and look for reliable sources of information. Scour newspapers for bylines, look at where the newspaper is located and research the sources given in articles.
Verify social media posts by doing a deep dive on all information given in a post.
Do research on political posts before sharing and contributing to the spread of disinformation.
If you see a questionable news site, pull up another tab and search Google for the website. Research it and see if it’s real or made by bots.
What disinformation have you seen lately regarding the 2024 election? Let me know in the comments or email me at cmadden@mcclatchy.com
This story was originally published September 13, 2024 at 12:24 PM.
