Facebook and Google fake news: The rise of echo chambers, and the need to shatter them

After the surprise Trump victory, the polarisation on both sides has been exposed. Clinton supporters are protesting on the streets, accusing Facebook and Google of spreading misinformation. They claim that social media created echo chambers of false information that lead to Clinton losing the elections. Mark Zuckerberg called the entire idea that fake news on Facebook could influence the elections, “ crazy.”

**Facebook denies** that it helped spread fake news that helped Trump win. Trump says Facebook and Twitter did help him win.

On the other hand, the Trump camp accuses the Clinton camp of living in an echo chamber and ignoring the realities of the FBI investigation, the primaries being rigged, the feelings of the American citizens disillusioned by American involvement in foreign affairs, or those who just wanted to vote against entrenched interests.

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An echo chamber is a virtual construct where one point of view is shared and amplified amongst people with similar points of views. This means that there is little understanding or empathy for the opposite camp. “I think it’s important to try to understand the perspective of people on the other side” Zuckerberg said in a Facebook post.

Facebook and Google can control the content on their site, and are taking measures for reducing the number of incorrect articles. Google and Facebook are changing their advertising policy, to prevent dissemination of fake or malicious information. Facebook said, “We do not integrate or display ads in apps or sites containing content that is illegal, misleading or deceptive, which includes fake news.” Google has said “Moving forward, we will restrict ad serving on pages that misrepresent, misstate, or conceal information about the publisher, the publisher’s content, or the primary purpose of the web property.”

However, there are platforms that are not controlled, where misinformation can spread rapidly. The fake stories can easily spread on instant messaging services, for example. Algorithms cannot be blamed for the spread of misleading information though, humans play a role too.

Closer back home, the demonetisation has seen similar echo chambers being created. There is one camp, that is vocally against the demonetisation, and another that supports the move. Each camp is more likely to forward messages on WhatsApp, and post Facebook updates, and share news stories, that supports their point of view.

The problem here is that misinformation can spread rapidly, and the discourse is usually less informed than it could have been. The impossibility of having a productive online conversation on an open platform is itself a long running joke on the internet.

Persistent Echo chambers are built by fanboys. Xbox vs PS, console vs PC, Apple vs Android… the list is endless.

Initially, the vocal opposition to Apple was Microsoft, and now the opposing camp is Android. Android users think Apple kills kittens to make the custom compound that polishes the housing of iPhone smartphones. Apple users don’t think much about Androids.

Fake news, misinformation forwards and urban legends have been a problem on the internet for as long as the internet has been around. Snopes is dedicated to verifying the authenticity of improbable stories, and tracks persistent rumours across years. Google has introduced a Fact Check label on its news site, to identify articles that have been verified by international fact checking networks.

Users can themselves follow up the sources. Articles normally have links to sources, and in digital publishing, there are direct embeds to the YouTube videos, or Twitter and Facebook posts. Clickbait articles have a particular format, and if the content in the article is different from the headline, then don’t share it. The headlines are often written specifically for social media shares, and for those who read just the headlines, it can be misleading. Search engines can be used to further verify the information. Taking a little more effort to dig a little deeper goes a long way in clarifying the issue.

To really understand information and technology, we have to move beyond our personal biases, let go of our preconceived notions and accept the harsh truths of the opposing side, no matter how indigestible they are.