Even with all of the positivity that it may bring, social media has shown its dark side. Countless rumors and conspiracy theories have sparked great fear the public so much that people are now burning down 5G Cell Towers, believing them to one of the reasons for the spread of the COVID-19 virus. One particular theory that has literally blazed through social media like Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp was that the radio waves from these cell towers were making people more susceptible to the virus. Up until now, theories such as this one have remained in the darkest parts of the internet, but thanks to social media and the growing panic surrounding the pandemic, buildings are being vandalized and burned, technicians are being harassed, people are trying potentially fatal home remedies, etc.
Who is responsible for the harm that comes out of these theories? The social media accounts that start or spread them? The celebrities that endorse these theories? The social media companies that should monitor such dangerous posts? How can we trust these social media websites to provide us accurate information when a cure is found?
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/10/technology/coronavirus-5g-uk.html
I absolutely agree that this is one of the few downsides of social media. On one hand it allows us to connect and share information like no other period in human history, while on the other it gives some the power to spread false and sometimes harmful information. I think a lot of large social media corporations do a fairly good job of silencing the spread of information that is obviously false. I think some people make the argument that companies doing this could lead to them impeding on free speech in the future. But I think in times like these it is necessary for both the government and the companies to step in and make sure the masses are not misinformed. Although, It is hard to keep track of all the false info that gets spread. The one thing I’ve seen a lot of social media platforms do that I think is great and helps protect people from false information is that some of them tag any posts containing “buzz words” like COVID-19 and coronavirus, and tell people to be wary of false information. This does a great job keeping people aware while also not silencing all information about the subject, because some of it may be true.