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MineralMan

(146,324 posts) Mon Jan 28, 2019, 04:20 PM Jan 2019

Your Facebook Feed Is NOT a Reliable Source. Just Saying...

If you see something negative about a Democratic Candidate in your Facebook feed, please don't bring it here and post it as if it were true. Unless you fact-check it and find it at a reliable source, you should assume that it's a lie.

Did what you see have a link? No? Then it's almost certainly a lie.

Did what you see make sense? No? Then it's probably a lie.

Do you personally know the Facebook source of something shared? No? Then it was shared blindly, without checking, by someone you know, and is probably not true.

Why did you decide to post what you saw on DU? Did you want someone to fact-check it for you? Then ask and someone probably will. Or learn how to use Google effectively and check it yourself.

Don't just post whatever you find in your FB feed with no attribution and no comment. What's the source? Why did it show up in your feed? Who shared it? Can you verify the information? If you aren't sure, please don't post negative information about Democrats that just shows up on your Facebook feed.

Remember 2016. Remember the Russian bots posting fake news on Facebook. They're still there and they're still posting. Some of your friends are probably very naive and post whatever they see as if it were true. Don't be naive. Don't spread the fake news further. If you can't confirm it from a reliable source, it's almost certainly not true. Just don't. Please!

16 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

Your Facebook Feed Is NOT a Reliable Source. Just Saying... (Original Post) MineralMan Jan 2019 OP

Can't understand why anyone would want to subscribe to a known democratisphere Jan 2019 #1

For the memes! It's for the memes! MineralMan Jan 2019 #2

I'm with you there. Iggo Jan 2019 #14

Thank you, MM! volstork Jan 2019 #3

I've become a tattler on FB superpatriotman Jan 2019 #4

I have a relative or two who are rather fond of sharing BS sites Grammy23 Jan 2019 #7

I do the same thing. MineralMan Jan 2019 #8

Kick. Hekate Jan 2019 #5

A measure of skepticism is always good gratuitous Jan 2019 #6

But some people just drop deal from their MineralMan Jan 2019 #9

twitter is just as bad if not worse nt msongs Jan 2019 #10

I tweet for business reasons. MineralMan Jan 2019 #12

I rarely share anything from facebook, even from 'trusted' sources... Wounded Bear Jan 2019 #11

Sounds very sensible to me. MineralMan Jan 2019 #13

It must be an elderly thing. I get Facebook ads for construction equipment and real estate. Hassin Bin Sober Jan 2019 #15

Someone politely posted that study in a local Democratic FB group that I frequent. progressoid Jan 2019 #16

democratisphere

(17,235 posts)

1. Can't understand why anyone would want to subscribe to a known

Reply to MineralMan (Original post)

Mon Jan 28, 2019, 04:29 PM

Jan 2019

propaganda channel. It is actually the equivalent to the fox propaganda network.

MineralMan

(146,324 posts)

2. For the memes! It's for the memes!

Reply to democratisphere (Reply #1)

Mon Jan 28, 2019, 04:31 PM

Jan 2019

Iggo

(47,563 posts)

14. I'm with you there.

Reply to democratisphere (Reply #1)

Mon Jan 28, 2019, 06:59 PM

Jan 2019

volstork

(5,403 posts)

3. Thank you, MM!

Reply to MineralMan (Original post)

Mon Jan 28, 2019, 04:54 PM

Jan 2019

The fact that people still use FaceBook just amazes me. It's a cesspool.

superpatriotman

(6,252 posts)

4. I've become a tattler on FB

Reply to MineralMan (Original post)

Mon Jan 28, 2019, 04:57 PM

Jan 2019

I report everything that smells off.

Grammy23

(5,810 posts)

7. I have a relative or two who are rather fond of sharing BS sites

Reply to superpatriotman (Reply #4)

Mon Jan 28, 2019, 05:21 PM

Jan 2019

That tend to make my blood boil. For the sake of peace in the family, I fume a little and then block whatever the source was. Never see ‘em again. Family members are none the wiser.

MineralMan

(146,324 posts)

8. I do the same thing.

Reply to Grammy23 (Reply #7)

Mon Jan 28, 2019, 05:40 PM

Jan 2019

Hekate

(90,768 posts)

5. Kick.

Reply to MineralMan (Original post)

Mon Jan 28, 2019, 05:17 PM

Jan 2019

gratuitous

(82,849 posts)

6. A measure of skepticism is always good

Reply to MineralMan (Original post)

Mon Jan 28, 2019, 05:21 PM

Jan 2019

Sometimes, though, it's good to know what's "out there" (in all senses of the phrase) so that a person can be ready for the jaw-dropping nonsense.

MineralMan

(146,324 posts)

9. But some people just drop deal from their

Reply to gratuitous (Reply #6)

Mon Jan 28, 2019, 05:42 PM

Jan 2019

FB feed as if it's fact, with no comment.

msongs

(67,430 posts)

10. twitter is just as bad if not worse nt

Reply to MineralMan (Original post)

Mon Jan 28, 2019, 05:45 PM

Jan 2019

MineralMan

(146,324 posts)

12. I tweet for business reasons.

Reply to msongs (Reply #10)

Mon Jan 28, 2019, 05:48 PM

Jan 2019

I never tweet political stuff. I also keep politics off my FB feed. Who needs more tsuris?

Wounded Bear

(58,685 posts)

11. I rarely share anything from facebook, even from 'trusted' sources...

Reply to MineralMan (Original post)

Mon Jan 28, 2019, 05:46 PM

Jan 2019

And no, I don't care and will risk the wrath of the gods for not S&L'ing your chain post.

Nor will I define my friendships by what gets S&L'ed. If I don't, it doesn't mean I don't like you.

MineralMan

(146,324 posts)

13. Sounds very sensible to me.

Reply to Wounded Bear (Reply #11)

Mon Jan 28, 2019, 05:49 PM

Jan 2019

Hassin Bin Sober

(26,334 posts)

15. It must be an elderly thing. I get Facebook ads for construction equipment and real estate.

Reply to MineralMan (Original post)

Mon Jan 28, 2019, 07:38 PM

Jan 2019

When we visit my mother-in-law I always seem to hear her listening to some wacky conspiracy videos. When I ask her where the hell she gets this stuff she says Facebook.

I could never understand what people are referring to with fake ads and Russian bots.

But this study/article made sense

Study: Elderly, conservatives shared more Facebook fakery in 2016

https://www.hillsdale.net/zz/news/20190109/study-elderly-conservatives-shared-more-facebook-fakery-in-2016

People over 65 and ultra conservatives shared about seven times more fake information masquerading as news on the social media site than younger adults, moderates and super liberals during the 2016 election season, a new study finds.

WASHINGTON — Sharing false information on Facebook is old.

People over 65 and ultra conservatives shared about seven times more fake information masquerading as news on the social media site than younger adults, moderates and super liberals during the 2016 election season, a new study finds.

The first major study to look at who is sharing links from debunked sites finds that not many people are doing it. On average only 8.5 percent of those studied — about 1 person out of 12 — shared false information during the 2016 campaign, according to the study in Wednesday’s journal Science Advances. But those doing it tend to be older and more conservative.

progressoid

(49,992 posts)

16. Someone politely posted that study in a local Democratic FB group that I frequent.

Reply to Hassin Bin Sober (Reply #15)

Mon Jan 28, 2019, 08:01 PM

Jan 2019

It was in response to a post about "fake news". I happen to know that more than half of the members are over 65. No one commented on it.

On the flip side, quite a few of the conservative elders in my family definitely fall into this group, "those doing it tend to be older and more conservative." Although they've mostly gone silent on Facebook in the last couple years. Not really sure if they became aware of their gullibility or what.

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