Distrust of Facebook: An Election Year

Image taken from publicdomainpictures.net

It is no secret that 2020 is an important election year. With the Russian interference that occurred during the 2016 election, people are not only becoming more concerned with the type of political information posted on social media, but also worried about the sources of the information. 

Richard Nieva recently wrote an article discussing the concerns of citizens in Iowa ahead of the caucus next week. Nieva discussed the results of a small interview survey he conducted during his time in Iowa to determine which social media platform citizens were most concerned about. He talked to a variety of individuals who ranged in age and political affiliation. He found "Iowans singled out Facebook as the most untrustworthy" platform.

Image taken from Gage Skidmore

The distrust for sites like Facebook is reaching farther than the average citizen. Elizabeth Warren, a 2020 Democratic candidate, has also raised concerns about false information online. Carrie Mihalcik reported that Warren is proposing "civil and criminal penalties for knowingly spreading false information online about when and how to vote in US elections." Warren tweeted from her personal account, on January 29, 2020, calling out social media companies telling them "to take real steps" in fighting "disinformation spread on their platforms."

Do I think Facebook and other tech companies have a responsibility to stop false information from spreading? The simple answer is yes. However, I also believe that in today's world, individuals need to be smarter consumers. People need to become more media literate and evaluate the information more carefully. Ultimately, it is the choice of the consumer to decide what to trust and believe.