The Fastest Ways to Check a Viral Tweet
The sum of human knowledge and the views of millions of people are available on your phone. Unfortunately, not everyone who shares information is reliable. Some people or sources may intentionally mislead you, while others may do so out of ignorance.
The next time you see a viral tweet full of breaking news you just can’t believe is true, you should stop for a second. This may not be true at all, and even if you feel compelled to send this to your mom, friends, classmates, or – with a simple retweet – to all your followers, remember that the consequences of widespread misinformation can be dire. Here’s how to quickly check for a viral tweet.
First, a note on media literacy
This part isn’t exactly the quick fix we promised, but if you work on improving your media literacy now, it will help you spot suspicious content faster in the future. To be frank, media literacy should be taught in schools, especially since our technologically advanced world is developing faster and faster around us every day. Unfortunately, this is not so. (The American school system has a habit of glossing over or simply ignoring difficult topics, in case you haven’t noticed.)
Just like you had to re-learn the real history of the holidays or the basics of sex education in adulthood, you need to do your own media literacy. Fortunately, scientists and other big minds have also noticed how ill-prepared the average adult is to deal with fake news and contextless tweets on a daily basis. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, for example, has an entire web page dedicated to helping you improve your skills. Here’s what you need to do, in a nutshell:
- Understanding the media landscape . A headline or tweet that evokes strong emotion, such as outrage, is designed to do just that. If there is a link attached, you better believe someone wants you to click on it, spend time on that site, and help them make money from ads. If it’s a single tweet, keep in mind that the creator is on the hunt for retweets that will get them more retweets, followers, engagement, and somehow money or influence. When you begin to believe that your emotions are being manipulated to line someone’s pockets or raise their status, you will feel less inclined to participate. What do you get out of playing this game other than higher blood pressure and a reputation for being gullible?
- Pay attention to the language . Does the tweet in question contain emotionally charged words or a clear point of view? News from a reputable source will be direct. We’ll move on to Google for context shortly, but in the meantime, practice reformulating what you’re reading in a calmer, less outraged tone. Without sensationalism, does a viral tweet still tell you something particularly noteworthy?
- Create a personal database of trusted news sources . This will take some time, but spend some time on the home pages of, say, the Associated Press. Then do the same with tabloids. Spend enough time on this and you will begin to see signs that the news is too exaggerated, and something that deserves a sincere reaction is not enough. Apply this new lens to everything, including tweets, and you’ll quickly become a master of media literacy. Look for less sensationalism and more context.
- Understand your source . A writer or columnist is not the same as a reporter. Opinion is not the same as fact. Always check who wrote the tweet you’re viewing and try to figure out what they’re getting out of it. If they work in politics, or in an organization with a particular focus, or are otherwise interested in getting their opinion out there, of course they want to make their content as outrageous as possible. In the war of ideas, the parties are determined by emotional reactions.
Consider the know-it-all in tweet replies
You can be a casual news consumer, a calm scroller, receptive to shocking information. Some people, however, are fiends for this material and rush to be the first person to point out that an embedded video purporting to show contemporary violence is many years old, or that the quote is misattributed to a historical figure. Let their passion for being public know-it-alls help you, but remember that they also have some kind of bias.
Read if Twitter flagged this as a false or misleading statement.
Twitter also adds small notices to false or misleading claims. We can talk again and again about possible Twitter biases, but for now, just click on the notification. This will take you to a page with additional context to the content of the tweet in question, which will help you form a more informed opinion. If the statement is viral enough, Twitter will also have the resources to fact-check the statement in its “Trending” column.
Google the quote without bias
Weed out any preconceived or emotional phrases, such as, say, “suggestion” or “woken up the crowd.” Reduce it to its simplest, most impartial form and google it.
As an example, take a look at the hype surrounding what right-wing influencers and the media have dubbed the “free crack program.” Rep. Madison Cawthorne and Senator Marco Rubio have been pushing for weeks that the administration wants to distribute “free crack pipes” in low-income communities.
“There is no end in sight to this madness,” Rubio wrote in a tweet that drew thousands of participants. Of course, such tweets have a lot of retweets and likes, but there is practically no context. This is when you go to Google and look for stripped-down terms. “Madness” is missing; but if you search for “Biden administration couriers,” you’ll find fact-checkers from authoritative sources who have scrutinized these contextless tweets and tried to explain what you need to know. (This is where your personal database of reputable outlets comes in handy.)
If you encounter a viral, contextless tweet before the mainstream media has a chance to publish a detailed fact check, read everything you can. In this example, you find that the grant is 30 million to use drugs. You’ll also find that the news of the grant’s establishment is several months old and received very little attention prior to the “free pipe of crack” outrage cycle.
When you have context, “free crack pipes” tweets seem absurd and myopic, even if they come from high-profile elected officials. Keep in mind that everyone who creates sensational tweets benefits from the manipulation of your emotions. What do politicians get by fueling outrage and fear? Voices as soon as they promise to do something about the problem they just made you believe exists.
However, armed with better information, you can become one of the know-it-alls in the answers. Have fun.