SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
Fake news and the way it spreads on social media is emerging as one of the great threats to modern society. In recent times, fake news has been used to manipulate stock markets, make people choose dangerous health-care options, and manipulate elections, including last year's presidential election in the U.S.
Clearly, there is an urgent need for a way to limit the diffusion of fake news. And that raises an important question: how does fake news spread in the first place?
Today we get an answer of sorts thanks to the work of Chengcheng Shao and pals at Indiana University in Bloomington. For the first time, these guys have systematically studied how fake news spreads on Twitter and provide a unique window into this murky world. Their work suggests clear strategies for controlling this epidemic.
Journal Reference:
arxiv.org/abs/1707.07592: The Spread of Fake News by Social Bots
(Score: 2, Interesting) by aristarchus on Thursday August 10 2017, @04:46AM (12 children)
Now it is my turn to complain about mods. But I won't. Someone mods me "flamebait" for dissing Alex Jones? Wow, this site is further gone than I thought. Alex Jones lost his kids. His lawyer said he is an "entertainer". My first encounter with his was in Linklater's "Waking Life", where he is driving around Austin with a loudspeaker on the top of his car (think, BluesBrothers, on the beach) spouting incoherence. Certifiably insane. Probably a Russian SALT. Or the Lizard People have their claws up his . . . just to deflect criticism of the craziness of the Republican party in general. And he posts under the nom de internets of jmorris on SoylentNews.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Azuma Hazuki on Thursday August 10 2017, @05:11AM (9 children)
This place has a RWNJ infestation. I find that a lot of the smaller splinter tech sites do, for some reason, and it mystifies me as to why. The answer may be that I'm being solipsistic and assuming everyone has a generalist's outlook and wants to see how it all fits together, rather than a narrow focus. But still.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 2) by kaszz on Thursday August 10 2017, @06:22AM (2 children)
RWNJ means?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 10 2017, @06:25AM
Take "SJW", reverse it, and spell out the acronym.
(Score: 2) by stormreaver on Thursday August 10 2017, @10:58AM
Right Wing Nut Job
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 10 2017, @06:30AM
When people get banned (or shadow banned) on all the larger sites the smaller sites form a refuge.
(Score: 0, Troll) by The Mighty Buzzard on Thursday August 10 2017, @10:32AM (4 children)
FTFY
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 10 2017, @04:12PM
Hey look, here is one now! Hi nutto :)
(Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Thursday August 10 2017, @09:47PM (2 children)
I was this close to modding you Spam, but since you haven't pizdetz'd up the entire thread proper with your useless horseshit, just that one post, Troll it is.
Crawl back under your rock, will you? Adults are talking here.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Friday August 11 2017, @12:02PM (1 child)
You should reread the moderation rules [soylentnews.org]. It will keep you from temporarily losing moderation privileges and me from having to listen to any complaining.
Troll or Flamebait were quite warranted there should you have felt the need but Spam would not have been.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Friday August 11 2017, @04:58PM
Put that tiny thing away, Uzzard. I *know* a Spam mod wouldn't have fit the situation, hence why I didn't use it.
But you...you've admitted to purposefully trolling this place and deliberately shitting up the pipeline with hard-right stories. You are an editor. Any claims you make to neutrality or a hands-off approach are stenching-to-high-heaven bullshit. If there were a such thing as a "-1, Not Arguing in Good Faith" mod, or even better a "-10000, Dereliction of Duty as a Managing Editor" mod, you'd see it coming at you fast enough to emit Cherenkov radiation.
And we're all onto you. Every single one of us.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 2) by unauthorized on Thursday August 10 2017, @07:33AM (1 child)
<sarcasm>I'm sure it was for the Alex Jones thing and not for responding to a completely cordial comment with condescension.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 10 2017, @07:54AM
Actually, I am sorry for your condition. I hope you get better. Perhaps a local community college could help?