How ‘engagement’ on social media makes you vulnerable to manipulation and misinformation

 Time to rethink your use of social media? 

Wonder why so many Americans are refusing to get vaccinated against Covid-19?

"Our research shows that virtually all web technology platforms, such as social media and news recommendation systems, have a strong popularity bias. When applications are driven by cues like engagement rather than explicit search engine queries, popularity bias can lead to harmful unintended consequences."

"Social media like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and TikTok rely heavily on AI algorithms to rank and recommend content. These algorithms take as input what you “like,” comment on and share – in other words, content you engage with. The goal of the algorithms is to maximize engagement by finding out what people like and ranking it at the top of their feeds."

"Evidence shows that information is transmitted via “complex contagion,” meaning the more times someone is exposed to an idea online, the more likely they are to adopt and reshare it. When social media tells people an item is going viral, their cognitive biases kick in and translate into the irresistible urge to pay attention to it and share it."

"First, because of people’s tendency to associate with similar people, their online neighborhoods are not very diverse. The ease with which a social media user can unfriend those with whom they disagree pushes people into homogeneous communities, often referred to as echo chambers."

"Second, because many people’s friends are friends of each other, they influence each other. A famous experiment demonstrated that knowing what music your friends like affects your own stated preferences. Your social desire to conform distorts your independent judgment."

"Third, popularity signals can be gamed. Over the years, search engines have developed sophisticated techniques to counter so-called “link farms” and other schemes to manipulate search algorithms. Social media platforms, on the other hand, are just beginning to learn about their own vulnerabilities."

"People aiming to manipulate the information market have created fake accounts, like trolls and social bots, and organized fake networks. They have flooded the network to create the appearance that a conspiracy theory or a political candidate is popular, tricking both platform algorithms and people’s cognitive biases at once. They have even altered the structure of social networks to create illusions about majority opinions."

Currently The Wall Street Journal is publishing a series of articles exposing how Facebook manipulates users.

Written by FILIPPO MENCZER, Indiana University. https://www.stgeorgeutah.com/news/archive/2021/09/16/prc-the-conversation-how-engagement-makes-you-vulnerable-to-manipulation-and-misinformation-on-social-media/#.YUoJfX1MHo4

 

Social Media During the 2020 Election

"This week you and our country would be better off if you just stayed out of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. Can’t quit it? At least follow these rules." 

Thanks to The Wall Street Journal's Technology writer Joanna Stern for this sage advice. 

"Locate the social-media apps you find most irresistible. (For me it’s Twitter and Instagram.) Place them in a new folder entitled 'DO NOT USE UNTIL ELECTION IS OVER.' Now hide this folder deep inside your phone."

"Congratulations! You have done your job as a responsible citizen of the United States of America."

Don’t use social media

"The first rule of election social media is: You do not use election social media. We should all take the occasional social-media break in our lives—right now’s a great time."

Second, even I have fallen for a manipulated video and a tweet with news that proved not to be true. In the next few days, where unvetted news will be moving faster, why even put myself in that situation?  

Don’t share

"OK, so if you can’t possibly leave behind 5,000 of your closest friends while the fate of our nation hangs in the balance, I urge you at least to stop sharing."

Don’t believe everything

Do your homework. "Even the most innocuous-sounding posts about topics like the election or Covid-19 should be checked with “lateral reading.” That’s where you seek out additional information on the same topic from other authors and publications.

Don’t be a jerk

"There’s discourse and then there’s division. And sadly, social platforms are pushing Americans to be ever more polarized—not in our opinions on issues, mind you, but in how we feel about opposing groups. You can all but guarantee high levels of vitriol, anger and attacks on social media in the next few days."

So just turn it off! Try yoga, meditation or exercise instead. 

 

 

 

 

10 Steps to Preparing to Retire

AARP offers a 10-step guide to prepare for retirement. “Ready for Retirement?”  helps you evaluate your health, build your social network, and find new ways to cut expenses.

See all ten “Ready for Retirement?” steps at www.aarp.org/readyforretirement.

10 steps to retirement AARP 2011

1. Define Your Retirement

2. Take Stock of Your "Assets"

3. Evaluate Your Health — Now

4. Determine When to Collect Social Security

5. Network Through Social Media and Other Methods

6. Decide How Much You Want (or Need) to Work

7. Create a Retirement Budget

8. Find New Ways to Cut Your Expenses (Start Saving More)

9. Prepare for the Unexpected

10. Stick to Your Plan (Our Community Can Help)

http://www.aarp.org/readyforretirement

Social Media and Investing -- Avoiding Fraud

"The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy is issuing this Investor Alert to help investors be better aware of fraudulent investment schemes that may involve social media. U.S. retail investors are increasingly turning to social media, including Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn and other online networks for information about investing. Whether it be for research on particular stocks, background information on a broker-dealer or investment adviser, guidance on an overall investing strategy, up-to-date news, or to simply discuss the markets with others, social media has become a key tool for U.S. investors.

While social media can provide many benefits for investors, it also presents opportunities for fraudsters. Social media, and the Internet generally, offer a number of attributes criminals may find attractive. Social media lets fraudsters contact many different people at a relatively low cost. It is also easy to create a site, account, email, direct message, or webpage that looks and feels legitimate – and that feeling of legitimacy gives criminals a better chance to convince you to send them your money. Finally, it can be difficult to track down the true account holders that use social media. That potential for anonymity can make it harder for fraudsters to be held accountable. As a result, investors need to use caution when using social media when considering an investment."

Details at: http://investor.gov/news-alerts/investor-alerts/investor-alert-social-media-investing-avoiding-fraud

10 Steps to Prepare for Retirement

10 steps to retirement from AARP

1. Define Your Retirement

2. Take Stock of Your "Assets"

3. Evaluate Your Health — Now

4. Determine When to Collect Social Security

5. Network Through Social Media and Other Methods

6. Decide How Much You Want (or Need) to Work

7. Create a Retirement Budget

8. Find New Ways to Cut Your Expenses (Start Saving More)

9. Prepare for the Unexpected

10. Stick to Your Plan (Our Community Can Help)

Read the details at: http://www.aarp.org/readyforretirement