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Social media has remarkably small impact on Americans’ beliefs:
Social media had only a small influence on how much people believed falsehoods about candidates and issues in the last two presidential elections, a pair of new national studies found.
And Facebook -- which came under fire for spreading misinformation in the 2016 campaign -- actually reduced misperceptions by users in that election compared to those who consumed only other social media.
The results suggest that we need to put the dangers of social media spreading misinformation in perspective, said R. Kelly Garrett, author of the study and professor of communication at The Ohio State University.
"Given the amount of attention given to the issue, it may seem surprising that social media doesn't have a larger impact on Americans' belief in falsehoods," Garrett said.
Journal Reference:
R. Kelly Garrett. Social media’s contribution to political misperceptions in U.S. Presidential elections. PLOS ONE, 2019; 14 (3): e0213500 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0213500
The study lets Facebook off the hook for influencing the 2016 election. Further, the study found, "Results showed that, overall, Republicans beliefs tended to be less accurate than those of Democrats, which made sense because the falsehoods were a prominent part of the Republican campaign strategy, Garrett said."
There you have it. It's science.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by DannyB on Thursday March 28 2019, @07:50PM (12 children)
So people believed falsehoods. Social Media had little influence on this.
So then where did people first come into contact with these falsehoods?
They didn't magically appear in the minds of millions of ignorant people fully formed. Somebody spread those falsehoods.
Okay, so maybe this unnamed other social media.
What about political candidates themselves? Could they possibly spread falsehoods? (their lips are moving) Loudly. Publicly. Widely spread on mainstream media. And verifiably false.
No, I think, it couldn't be that. That would mean that millions of people are vulnerable to believing whatever they hear, or what they want to hear. And hearing what they want to believe. Because . . . my party is the right one!
So, eliminating other factors, the most likely cause is probably something else.
- - - OMG !!! - - -
Chemtrails! This is a well known tool in government mind control techniques and is certainly one that would be used to widely spread falsehoods. Because the Republicans are behind it!
And Aliens! Those UFOs aren't just sitting idly by as we try to inform ourselves about current events. They interfere with the airwaves and make news programs say things that weren't said in the broadcast studio! And our tax dollars support this. (most likely) Because the Democrats are working with aliens!
They want us to believe falsehoods -- such as a round Earth when anyone can see it is flat. And turtles all the way down.
Clearly the intarweb tubes and social media do not distribute falsehoods.
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(Score: 3, Interesting) by FatPhil on Thursday March 28 2019, @08:08PM (3 children)
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/figure/image?size=medium&id=info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0213500.g002
THe influence was different for different duhmographics, but that doesn't mean there's no influence. The influence of diet on health is different for those who have different diets (those who have a healthy diet benefit from their diet, those who have a shitty diet are harmed by more of it).
I won't spoil it, it's worth spending the 20 seconds working out what it says about whom (and how appropiate my diet analogy is).
And for the poster elsethread I just modded troll - I reckon the person you mention fits into one of the upper lines.
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Thursday March 28 2019, @08:34PM (2 children)
Here is a lickable clink [plos.org] to your graphic.
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(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Friday March 29 2019, @01:04AM (1 child)
Another lickable link
http://thewowstyle.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/beautiful_women_blurred_.jpg [thewowstyle.com]
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 29 2019, @06:38AM
That's a really weird earring she has hanging off her left ear.
(Score: 2) by Tokolosh on Thursday March 28 2019, @10:10PM (1 child)
Television
Radio
Newspapers
Magazines
Social events
Water cooler
Bars
There are other means of interaction than social media, in case you had forgotten (or never experienced).
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Friday March 29 2019, @01:54PM
The first four on your list are the only kind of interaction citizens are advised to engage in.
The last three items on the list may be considered subversive.
This announcement brought to you by the Ministry of Right Thinking.
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(Score: 2) by GlennC on Thursday March 28 2019, @11:33PM (3 children)
"Team Red" and "Team Blue" are to blame. Together and collectively.
I think that most people think of the candidates and political parties in much the same way as NASCAR drivers or sports teams. The side they back is beyond fault, while the other side is a bunch of barely human infidels who need to be "educated".
Sorry folks...the world is bigger and more varied than you want it to be. Deal with it.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Runaway1956 on Friday March 29 2019, @01:56AM (2 children)
Both sides are a bunch of barely human infidels who need to be educated.
(Score: 3, Funny) by DannyB on Friday March 29 2019, @01:56PM (1 child)
They will educate each other.
To the death!
Steel cage education sessions!
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(Score: 3, Insightful) by etherscythe on Friday March 29 2019, @06:04PM
As much as I might be entertained (who gets to exercise their 2nd amendment!?), I don't want to give the impression that whoever "won" was actually right. We have enough trouble with that at the polls.
"Fake News: anything reported outside of my own personally chosen echo chamber"
(Score: 1) by khallow on Friday March 29 2019, @01:49PM (1 child)
They're doing things to the soil.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Friday March 29 2019, @01:57PM
Aliens also supply the government with the invisible mind control brain lasers.
It's true. I read it online!
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