Ever since Elon Musk, the self-described “dumb-in-chief,” bought his preferred social media platform, Twitter, misinformation has become more popular.
Kanye West, now called Ye, has infamously become a folk hero for those who spread anti-Semitic messages and push his anti-Jewish conspiracy theories, leading to public displays of hatred.
The stories are related not only to the rampant spread of false information, but also to the sudden activation of West’s Twitter account, who was suspended in early October for an anti-Semitic remark in which he threatened to “deal death with the Jewish people.” See more about this below.
Tweeting a conspiracy theory about Pelosi
Musk, the world’s richest man, claims he bought Twitter to protect free expression and vowed to prevent it from becoming a “free-for-all hellish environment,” but over the weekend he made real news for spreading misinformation.
In his response to a tweet from Hillary Clinton, he sent a link to a report that contained false allegations about the violent assault on Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul. Check out Musk’s tweet for more. Musk eventually removed that remark, but as CNN noted Monday, fake memes about the attack have been circulating on Twitter.
They are too thick to pass. a 911 call that was misinterpreted. false alarm regarding the clothing the alleged assailant was wearing. It all adds up to the absurd but contrived conspiracy fantasies that now seem to be widely accepted thanks to Musk.
Instead of apologizing for the error, Musk mocked The New York Times by joking about its accuracy.
Conservatives were outraged by Musk’s tweet about the fake report and the claim made by Clinton and others that the GOP should be blamed for its violent rhetoric. In her tweet, Clinton said Republicans should be held accountable for spreading conspiracies and included a link to a Los Angeles Times article about Pelosi’s alleged attacker.
CNN’s Stephen Collinson offers more insight into the partisan blame game, writing: “Republicans, while condemning the violence, deny any responsibility for creating a toxic political environment. Some have even used it as a springboard for new initiatives to cast doubt on the legitimacy of US elections.
Anyone can be misled by misinformation
This is a good time to mention that virtually anyone can be fooled by false information on social media.
CNN recently covered a study that claimed three-quarters of Americans overestimate their ability to spot online fraud. The study was published in the Proceedings of the The National Academy of Sciences in 2021.
8,200 people participated in the study’s surveys, and it was found that participants were worse at spotting misleading headlines the more confident they were in their ability to do so.
The researchers, led by Ben Lyons, a professor of communication at the University of Utah, concluded that their findings “paint a troubling picture: the people who are least equipped to identify fake news content are also the least aware of their limitations and therefore , more prone to believe and spread it.”
According to the survey, Republicans are less likely to trust the media and more confident in its ability to identify fake news than Democrats.
Verifying the information you receive online is becoming increasingly important, but it is also becoming more difficult for people. Not only news articles can be invented. It’s not just on Twitter.
In another study, researchers posted fake election-related ads on Facebook, TikTok and YouTube, according to a CNN Business report. According to the analysis, Facebook and TikTok have received a significant amount of fake ads. In contrast, YouTube was able to recognize the fake ads and rejected them. Learn more about the study.
What do you have to do? Make a beat
I asked CNN’s Donnie O’Sullivan, who has spent years reporting on the topic of misinformation and how it spreads online, about self-defense.
Although disinformation is currently more prevalent among the right and far right in American society, he insisted it is not limited to those groups. We all tend to retweet or share something too quickly if it seems to support our preconceptions.
A sudden surge in anti-Semitic, racist tweets
The line between deliberate misinformation and hate, I guess, blurs every day. According to the Anti-Defamation League, anti-Semitic posts and language have increased since Musk took ownership of Twitter, as reported by the New York Times.
@elonmusk
Here is a prime example of misinformation. “trending now”. Nowhere is there any mention of the 84 peer-reviewed studies that claim otherwise, but claim that clinical evidence supports this claim. This is not balanced but a direct example of twitter propaganda.— Herman (@Wickee13) April 28, 2022
Use of the N-word has increased since Musk took over, according to data from a group that studies communications on social media, also cited by The Washington Post. NBA star LeBron James called it out on Twitter.
I don’t know Elon Musk, and frankly, it doesn’t matter who owns Twitter. However, I will say that if this is accurate, I sincerely hope he and his supporters take this seriously because it is extremely disturbing. Some so many incredibly inappropriate people claim that hate speech is protected speech.
“Fake” accounts are a problem. Twitter promises a crackdown
James was addressed by Musk, who cited a tweet from Twitter’s head of safety and integrity, Yoel Roth, in which Roth claimed that the majority of accounts using the N-word were “inauthentic.”
To make Twitter a safe and welcoming place for everyone, Roth wrote on the platform: “We have taken action to ban the individuals involved in this trolling effort and will continue to work to resolve this in the coming days.”
The proliferation of fake Twitter accounts almost prevented Musk from acquiring the business.
Is this a person or a troll? Is it news or made up?
Another thing to think about online is this. Is this popular or controversial post being shared by a real person with real opinions, or is it coming from a news source that has verified its reporting? Or is it a bot controlled by a Russian or Chinese entity?
So at least we now know where the bar is. ?♂️ https://t.co/PmnIMB3X2Z
— Joe Arvay (@DecisionLab) October 30, 2022
According to a CNN story, The FBI issued a warning this month about the spread of false information about the legitimacy of this year’s US election by agents of both governments. The last time we reported on this was in June, but there have been several previous revelations about Russia’s attempts to capitalize on latent racial tensions in the US.
Musk is considering charging users for the ability to have their accounts verified in an effort to make Twitter profitable, which could make it harder to identify which accounts are legitimate.
“This is all a disaster and it’s only going to get worse from here” https://t.co/e3zBq1RBQY
— Anne Helen Petersen (@annehelen) October 31, 2022
He also promises to create a new council to review the organization’s rules for moderating content.
But he denies any involvement in West’s Twitter recovery, which Musk claims was done before he took over the business. On the app, Musk only follows 124 accounts, including West’s.
West was fired from his lucrative relationships with Adidas and the Gap and is no longer being praised by Fox, as he was by Tucker Carlson in early October. In contrast, Musk is likely to have businesses advertise on Twitter.
Now he’s motivating people to display anti-Jewish banners, give Nazi salutes and project anti-Semitic words into a stadium for the University of Georgia vs. University of Florida game on Saturday instead of motivating them to buy sneakers.
This is fake – I *didn’t* post a link to The New York Times! pic.twitter.com/d6V6m5ATW2
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 31, 2022
West seems uneasy in his new position. He said in a drawn-out, rambling YouTube video that he was talking about love, not hate.
According to CNN’s report of the remarks, West concluded his remarks with a prayer and stated, “I have no affiliation with any hate group.” “I require everyone to walk in love, so if any hatred is directed at any Jew, it is unrelated.”
Last lines
Ever since Elon Musk, the self-described “dumb-in-chief,” bought Twitter, misinformation has been trending. Kanye West, now known as Ye, has despicably become a folk hero for anti-Semitic conspiracy theorists.
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