The Battle For Public Opinion
Social media platforms have impacted public opinion significantly. According to an article by Pew Research Center, 70% of the 19 countries assessed felt that the spread of misinformation on social media is a major threat to their countries. Additionally, many felt people are easier to manipulate through social media (Greenwood 2023).
One major issue that leads to the possibility of spreading misinformation and rumors is people's unwillingness to validate the information received. The SIFT method suggests four easy steps to help validate information: stop, investigate the source, find better coverage, and trace the claims.
Some key factors contributing to the online battle for public opinion are environmental, mass media, and social media. The article "Components of public opinion: attitudes and values", notes how environmental factors, especially social environments (family, friends, religious communities, place of work), are most persuasive in regards to public opinion (Encyclopedia Britannica 1998). Mass media, especially the United States news media, influence people politically and provide political leaders with a large speaking platform. Whereas, social media gives people the platform to debate political and social topics.
An example of a successful online campaign that significantly influenced public opinion was discovered by Cambridge Analytica. They proclaim that Facebook assisted a political leader's induction into the White House by accessing the personal data of Facebook users and using it to manipulate them into supporting this leader (Time 2018). Some ethical considerations that individuals and organizations should consider when participating in this battle for public opinion online are the support of diverse perspectives, providing tools and resources to support employees should ethical dilemmas arise, and creating an environment that supports and promotes an open dialog ( IntechOpen 2023).
Sources and Works Cited
"Dealing with Propaganda, Misinformation and Fake News." Democratic Schools for All, 2024, www.coe.int/en/web/campaign-free-to-speak-safe-to-learn/dealing-with-propaganda-misinformation-and-fake-news.
"Ethical Considerations in Organizational Conflict." IntechOpen - Open Science Open Minds | IntechOpen, 20 Sept. 2023, www.intechopen.com/chapters/1156266.
"Facebook’s New Controversy Shows How Easily Online Political Ads Can Manipulate You." TIME, 19 Mar. 2018, time.com/5197255/facebook-cambridge-analytica-donald-trump-ads-data/.
Greenwood, Shannon. "2. Views of Social Media and Its Impacts on Society." Pew Research Center's Global Attitudes Project, 1 June 2023, www.pewresearch.org/global/2022/12/06/views-of-social-media-and-its-impacts-on-society-in-advanced-economies-2022/.
"The Role of the Media in the Construction of Public Belief and Social Change| Journal of Social and Political Psychology." Journal of Social and Political Psychology, 4 Sept. 2013, jspp.psychopen.eu/index.php/jspp/article/view/4761/4761.html.
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