During the COVID-19 pandemic, various platforms implemented policies and practices to combat the spread of misinformation online. However, a recent study published in Science Advances suggests that Facebook, the world’s largest social media platform, was not successful in its efforts to address COVID-19 vaccine misinformation. The study, titled “The Efficacy of Facebook’s Vaccine Misinformation Policies and Architecture During The COVID-19 Pandemic,” involved researchers from Johns Hopkins University and was led by researchers at the George Washington University.
The study revealed that Facebook’s attempts were hindered by the fundamental design features of the platform itself. According to David Broniatowski, the lead study author and an associate professor of engineering management and systems engineering at GW, the current focus on content and algorithms in discussions about social media platforms and artificial intelligence governance is insufficient. To effectively combat misinformation and other online harms, attention must also be given to the design and architecture of these platforms.
Broniatowski states, “Our results demonstrate that simply removing content or altering algorithms may prove ineffective if it does not address the underlying purpose of the platform—to facilitate connections among community members with shared interests, such as vaccine hesitancy, and enable them to access information they are motivated to seek.”
2023-09-16 09:48:02
Link from phys.org rnrn