Social media is filled with more false information than ever before. In recent months, experts have noticed a big rise in misinformation and disinformation online. Misinformation means sharing something wrong by mistake, while disinformation is a lie spread on purpose. Both are spreading quickly on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter) and TikTok, and both can cause real damage.
False posts spread faster than ever
One big problem is how fast a lie can travel on social media. A false post can reach thousands of people in minutes. In the past, rumors took longer to spread. Now, just a few clicks can send an untrue story around the world.
The internet is full of false information, and this problem has grown worse in recent years. Social media has greatly amplified the reach of these lies. New AI tools have made it even harder to tell what’s real and what’s not. For example, AI can create fake images or videos that look real, tricking people into believing a made-up story.
Many people are confident they can spot a fake post, but that confidence can be misleading. In one survey, close to 60% of people believed they could identify false information online, yet only about one-third (33%) thought others could do the same. This shows that we often think we’re better at spotting lies than we actually are. If we think we can’t be fooled, we might not stay alert when we should.
Even smart and famous people can be fooled. For example, over 600,000 people – including some celebrities – fell for a hoax on social media. The hoax claimed that if you posted a certain message, it would stop Facebook and Instagram’s owner (Meta) from using your photos. It wasn’t true at all, but the rumor spread to hundreds of thousands of users before people realized it was fake.
Real harm from false information
False information online might seem like just silly rumors, but it causes real harm. Lies about health or safety can have serious consequences. For example, false claims about vaccines led some people to avoid important medicine. In one case, misinformation about vaccines contributed to a measles outbreak in Florida that made many people sick.
Misinformation can also stir up fear and anger. In England, false rumors after a terrible event sparked riots against immigrants in several towns. People believed untrue stories blaming certain groups, and that led to violence. In many places, communities become divided because of rumors that turn neighbors against each other. A recent report even found that most people see the spread of misinformation as a serious threat to their community.
A worldwide problem
The problem of misinformation isn’t just local — it’s worldwide. In fact, experts say that false information has become one of the biggest global risks we face in the near future. Even some social media companies have struggled with how to handle it. For instance, the company Meta (which owns Facebook and Instagram) recently decided to end its program of using outside fact-checkers on its platforms. Many people are worried that without those fact-checks, it might become even easier for fake posts to spread unchecked.
How you can stay safe online
False information might be everywhere, but there are ways to protect yourself and others. The first rule is don’t trust everything you see on the internet. If a story or post seems shocking or too good to be true, take a moment to verify it before you share it or act on it. Look for news from reliable sources. Even if it’s not shocking or too good to be true, The Docs have recently been vetting almost ALL posts we don’t have first-hand knowledge on. You can also use fact-checking websites like Snopes (a free site known for checking rumors) to see if a claim has been proven false.
A very handy tool is to use a free AI chatbot to help fact-check suspicious information. AI chatbots are computer programs (often free to use online) that can answer questions and provide information. Here is a simple step-by-step guide to using a free AI tool (also called a large language model, or LLM) to check if something you found online is true:
- Find a free AI chat tool. For example, you can visit a site like ChatGPT or Google Bard. These are free AI chatbots that anyone can use.
- Copy the suspicious text or claim. Highlight and copy the post or statement that you want to check. It could be a social media post or any information you’re unsure about.
- Paste it into the AI chat. Open the AI chatbot website and paste the copied text into the chat box.
- Ask the AI to check the facts. Type a question or prompt for the AI. For example: “Is the following information true or false? [Paste the content here] Please explain why.” This tells the AI that you want to verify the information.
- Read the AI’s answer carefully. The AI should respond and tell you if the information might be true or false, and it should give some reasons or evidence. If the AI says it isn’t sure, or if you still have doubts, don’t stop there.
- Double-check with another source. Even AI can be wrong sometimes, so it’s smart to verify important information with a trusted source. You can try asking another AI chatbot, searching online for the claim, or checking a fact-checking website. Getting a second opinion will help you be confident about what is true.
By following these steps, you can use new technology to help you sort fact from fiction. Just remember that no tool is perfect, so always use your own best judgment too.
Stay informed and think before you share
Misinformation on social media isn’t going away overnight. We all need to stay alert and think twice before clicking “share.” Ask yourself if a post comes from a reliable source and if it makes sense. By using the tips above — like fact-checking with AI or websites like Snopes — we can each do our part to stop the spread of false stories. When in doubt, remember that it only takes a few seconds to double-check an article’s title or a suspicious claim online. It’s much better to be sure something is true than to accidentally spread a lie.
False information can hurt people and communities, but we can fight it by staying informed and being careful. By verifying what we see online and sharing responsibly, we can keep ourselves and our neighbors safer from the harm caused by rumors and lies.
Full disclosure: an AI chat tool was used to quickly find the multiple published sources for this article. Until next time: stay safe out there!
Stephen Bach is the owner and chief of surgery at The Digital Docs in Marblehead.
