As you’ve probably heard, @instagram Instagram is planning to remove the likes counter below posts for some users in the U.S. starting this week. According to reports, this feature is ALREADY being tested in some countries.
@instagram This tweet 👇👇👇 showed up on our IG feed as a post with the account’s name cropped out...
@instagram This photo is what we saw, so we wanted to double-check its accuracy. To find it, we simply searched the tweet’s text word-for-word on Twitter and the previously linked tweet from @WIRED was the top result.
@instagram@WIRED After reading the linked article, we learned WIRED broke this news when the Head of Instagram, @mosseri, spoke last week at the #WIRED25 summit.
@instagram@WIRED@mosseri He says he and other execs want to make Instagram a safer place, which aligns with other news the company dropped earlier this year about how the platform will treat cyberbullying and harmful content. instagram-press.com/blog/2019/10/2…
@instagram@WIRED@mosseri 💡TIP 💡Generally when checking claims about popular products it’s always a good idea to look for a release on their press page. However, there was nothing on Instagram-press.com that pointed directly to this update.
@instagram@WIRED@mosseri Thankfully, @WIRED included attributed quotes AND included video from the head of Instagram who’s most certainly a reputable source on the matter, so this post we saw is definitely legit!
@instagram@WIRED@mosseri Once you find a primary source for info, it’s not a bad idea to look for news analysis on what a big change like this could mean. In this case, a Google search for “Instagram hiding likes” would return several results for news articles that would provide more info.
@instagram@WIRED@mosseri As for whether this update will make the platform a safer place...people have had a whole lot of opinions on the matter. Some agree, hiding the number of likes will improve Instagram as a community...
@instagram@WIRED@mosseri But others cite a decrease in influencer engagement in countries where this feature already exists as a reason Instagram should scrap the idea. What do YOU think?
🧵of tips to help you at the ballot box and scrolling social media today – specifically for those who are new to or nervous about voting. First of all, get excited! It’s every voter’s civic duty to participate in democracy. Take a deep breath. You got this! 💪 #ElectionDay
Want more info? vote411.org/select-state has state-specific details for voting, along with instructions on how to get a free ride to the polls from @lyft.
Tap into your local news outlets today. You’ll find specific information on voting rules, polling locations and everything else you need to know. Example, @TB_Times walks readers through voting in #TampaBay: tampabay.com/news/florida-p…
This morning, trusted news outlets confirmed that Russia attacked Ukraine. During any global crisis, you’ll see visceral images and videos on social media claiming to show bombing, tanks — military action. Now more than ever, you need to stop and ask @SHEG_Stanford’s 3 Q’s:
First, when you see a post like this one, ask yourself: Who shared it? Are they an expert? Are they biased toward one side of the conflict?
Go to their profile. Use quotes to search for exact matches for their name: “@WorldNewsWWIII”. The profile isn’t verified, and while it claims to be a news source — it’s been around for a month. DON’T SHARE.
The queen, my lord, is… not dead. Yesterday Twitter was abuzz after #HollywoodUnlocked published an “exclusive” claiming Queen Elizabeth II died. Good news: Several reputable news sources denied the claim. Bad news: This isn’t the last time we’ll see a celebrity death hoax🧵
We’re @MediaWise, and we teach people all over the world how to be smarter consumers of news and information online. Long story short, we know a thing or two about how to make sure the info you’re reading online is legit.
We figured now’s a good time to chat about how to assess breaking news about celebrity deaths responsibly. When you see a claim that someone famous/important/popular has died, WAIT IT OUT. These stories are enticing, but facts can often be distorted or left out.
The Knight Media Forum just started and ✌️ of our very own MediaWise ambassadors will be panelists today 👀 @JulioVaqueiro will be on a panel talking about misinfo in communities of color and @davejorgenson will be on another sharing his expertise on reaching the youth.
.@JulioVaqueiro became an ambassador this year as part of our efforts to help Spanish speakers confidently navigate their social media feeds. In a 10-day text message course, he and @jdbalart share key digital media literacy tips. poy.nu/verifica
.@davejorgenson has been with us for a couple of years now helping us connect with teens and college students. Here's a throwback to a TikTok we worked on together: tiktok.com/@mediawise/vid…
Right now you’re probably seeing hundreds of photos and videos from the chaotic scene on #CapitolHill at the #CapitolBuilding. Or are you?
When protestors began streaming into D.C. yesterday, an unverified Twitter account with less than 1,000 followers shared a photo claiming to show the action that racked up more than 14,000 RTs. It’s false.
It was ACTUALLY an image from the 2018 #MarchForOurLives protest. Using out-of-context pics is one way bad actors push disinformation out to thousands of social feeds during breaking news events. You could have figured that out right away with a reverse image search.
Social media is hitting a fever pitch about the lockdown at the #CapitolBuilding. Please STOP before you click retweet or re-share anything you see on this subject and ask yourself these 3 key questions to fact-check it and prevent yourself from sharing misinformation... (THREAD)
1. WHO IS BEHIND THE INFORMATION? Click on their bio. Are they an expert on the subject // verified? Why should you trust what they say? Any indications they have an agenda? Any bot-like activity on their account? If you have an extra sec, Google them. Any red flags?
2. WHAT IS THE EVIDENCE? What in their post proves to you what they are claiming is accurate? Be skeptical. Do they provide context? Social media rewards short form posts, if you don't have enough info in the post to answer this question, go on to question 3...