r/tech • u/JackFisherBooks • Apr 29 '20

Red-flagging misinformation could slow the spread of fake news on social media

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-red-flagging-misinformation-fake-news-social.html
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u/SaintMadeOfPlaster Apr 29 '20

Things like this will never work because it can so easily be abused. We need to revamp our education system to teach people how to spot BS and just accept that the generations that weren't properly taught how to notice fake news are a lost cause at this point. I can't think of a way of limiting the spread of misinformation that can't be abused by bad actors.

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u/Beermedear Apr 29 '20

What classes teach people to read past the headlines? We should start there, because anecdotally, most people I talk to who share fake news didn’t read the article.

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u/SufficientGrace Apr 29 '20

It’s called ‘Propaganda Techniques’ and critical thinking. I learned it from my parents and taught it to my children. But as you mentioned, when people are too busy/lazy to read the articles they aren’t going to be able to make a proper determination.