Lies through Social Media

Alex Vella
av130415@ohio.edu

With social media it is hard for users to decipher if something is real or fake. Celebrities constantly rave about products without readers knowing if they received incentives, and deep fakes are being made more and more. These are only a couple of examples of how technology has made it difficult for social media users to determine the truth in posts.

Any user of Instagram is able to post reviews about products they have used. A concerning issue today is that many users are unaware if someone is only posting a good review about a product for something in return. Those posting these reviews may receive money or free products in return for their positive review. Celebrities that endorse products on social media are referred to as "micro- influencers." Ad Age states that, "Advocacy groups led by Public Citizen on Wednesday wrote U.S. regulators to express concern over Instagram posts that hawk products but don't wear labels such as "#ad" or "#paid."" It has also been said that Public Citizen has filed complaints about "micro-influencer" Kim Kardashian. Kardashian receives an estimated half a million dollars to share a post with her millions of followers. If Kardashian does not continuously disclaim that her post is an ad then there is potential for fake advertising to become normalized.

Photo from https://images.app.goo.gl/6tekiW6NYPojkB5A9

Another major concern that has come about in the past couple of years are deepfakes. Deepfakes are fake audio and video that is created by artificial intelligence. With deepfakes, it is simple to recreate a video of anyone doing or saying something. This is a major concern, especially for those that have a lot of influence. Since deepfakes are difficult to spot, they have the potential to take disinformation to a higher level. According to CNN, "The Pentagon, through the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)," is working to get ahead of the game when it comes to deepfakes.

Similar to deepfakes are computer-generated characters. Within Instagram, these characters have become very popular. In 2016, Lil Miquela, a computer-generated character known as a virtual influencer, was created by social media marketers in Los Angeles. Lil Miquela has songs on Spotify, and has worked with Italian fashion label Prada, plus many more. The purpose of her creation was for marketing, attracting followers, and obtaining likes.

Another major issue on social media today is astroturfing. This is a major form of social media fraud, especially used by companies and our government. According to The Guardian, astroturfing is, "fake grassroots campaigns that create the impression that large numbers of people are demanding or opposing particular policies." A campaign like this is clearly a major issue since it can heavily support or oppose particular policies.

All in all it is important that those using social media post information that is truthful and accurate. Some may think that using deepfakes or astroturfing as methods to attract more attention is beneficial, but it may end up hurting you in the end. Displaying truthful information is imperative and is a rule that should be strictly followed.