Study Finds Misinformation Rose Fourfold in Local Facebook Groups During Campaign
A think tank report documented a jump in false posts shared in local Facebook groups during a by-election campaign. The share of misinformation rose from 4 percent to 16 percent after the contest was called.
The GuardianA report released today by the Social Market Foundation found that nearly one in six news posts shared in four local Facebook groups during a by-election campaign contained false information. The analysis examined more than 1,800 posts from groups with a combined 66,000 members.
The share of posts classified as misinformation increased from 4 percent before the contest was called to 16 percent during the campaign.
The report stated that engagement with false posts, whether agreement or challenge, increased their visibility through the platform's algorithm. In one group, five of the ten most-viewed posts were classified as misinformation; in another, eight of the twenty-five top posts were false.
The Social Market Foundation noted that 46 percent of Britons now obtain local news through social media and 34 percent use local Facebook groups for this purpose. The organization called for stronger enforcement by platforms and increased investment in local journalism.
