The distinguished American writer Mark Twain once said, ” A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is still putting on its shoes”. With the advent of social media, lies have found a new vehicle to complete its journey instantly.

Although the practice of dressing up fake news has been long prevalent, there is no doubt that social media has made the problem worse. In the absence of fact-checking systems, false information and outright lies now reach a global audience in a matter of seconds. Fake news is not benign. It has the potential of inciting hate, violence and also threaten public security.

According to a survey conducted by BBC, researchers found that a majority of respondents made very little or no effort to check the source of the information they share on social media. This is a problem that can have dire consequences. In countries such as India, Kenya, Somalia, and Nigeria, a number of cases of lynching and mob violence have occurred on the basis of the fake news circulated on WhatsApp.

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Fake news can also sway public opinions and build mistrust towards democratic institutions. So how can we, as a user of social media, be more vigilant and maneuver in the ocean of fake news?

Here are few tips to spot fake news:

1. Check The Source

If you stumble upon information from an unheard source, do some digging before sharing it with others. It is important to vet the credibility of the publisher and the author. Also check the domain names. Unusual URLs with extensions like “.infonet” instead of “.com” are often illegitimate websites.

2. Read The Fine Print

While reading news online or on social media, pay attention to the quality of the articles. If you notice spelling or grammatical errors, excessive use of all caps or punctuation, stop reading.

It is highly likely that the article is not from a reputable source as they have high proofreading standards and will not make such errors.

Check the timeline of the articles. Old stories can be blown out of context and create a furor.

3. Checkup Supporting Sources

Investigate who else is covering the story. A genuine story is often picked up by multiple reputable news publishers. If you notice lack of coverage, especially on a pertinent issue, then something is amiss.

If there are additional links listed in the article click on the links to determine if the information provided there actually supports the story.

4. Ask The Experts

Debunking theories takes time and if you are short of it take the help of a pro. There are many fact-checking websites such as  Snopes.com, FactCheck.org, and PolitiFact.com that you can use to identify real or fake story.

It is highly likely that at least one of them has fact-checked the latest viral post that appeared on your news feed.

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Final Thoughts

It is important to educate people about media literacy so that they can contain the spread of false information and become the first line of defense against the rising menace.