The conspiracy turned out to be a hoax, famously spread by foreign governments. Although many of these, and similar conspiracies have long passed, the principle remained: the American populace can be vulnerable to misinformation and disinformation through social media. The efforts are broadly being directed toward the process of voting this year, since so much needed to change in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn this era of misinformation, and miscommunication from some of our nation\u2019s leading officials, we must speak up and speak out now,\u201d said Rev. Dr. Wendell Anthony, president of the NAACP Detroit Chapter. \u201cIt is vitally important that the citizens know that we still live in a democracy. Voting is at the very heart and essence of preserving our republic.\u201d<\/p>\n
The State of Michigan, tech companies, and even the President of the United States have responded to the ambiguity of this year\u2019s electoral process. But it\u2019s still unclear whether they\u2019re doing the work that\u2019s needed to either preserve this year\u2019s peaceful transfer of power or provide an undeniable reelection. In a way, misinformation is challenging every step of that process.<\/p>\n
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Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson at a Press Conference on Sept. 16.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n What is Internet Misinformation?<\/p>\n Hard to identify and even harder to stop, Internet Misinformation is targeted and often entirely false information that is designed to spread as quickly and as vastly as possible. Misinformation is usually made to get a specific message across, like that Black Lives Matter protests are all violent, or that all conservatives are trying to create a fascist America.<\/p>\n It can also be used to spread a more ambiguous message, like when false social media reports said that the census contained a citizenship question. Oftentimes, the message can be crafted in order to mimic official sources like accredited newspapers or government communications. The easiest way to know whether something is false is to check a reliable source, like government websites or trusted and established newspapers.<\/p>\n The 2020 Election has heightened the efforts to spread misinformation. Because people are weary from the economic effects of the Pandemic, there\u2019s an increased effort from foreign governments, like Russia and China, according to reporting published by Politico<\/span><\/a>. These efforts are being made with specific goals in the minds of actors, like electing a friendly politician or creating a more difficult cultural climate for political discourse.<\/p>\n According to communications through the State of Michigan\u2019s Election Security efforts, Misinformation is spread through carefully crafted social media pages. Sometimes those pages are run using artificial intelligence, specifically created to put more traction into a political message within trending topics.<\/p>\n Back in 2016, the presidential election was famously called into question after high-profile organizations were found to influence political discourse. Many of those same efforts are being made to influence this year\u2019s election, with reports showing that the tactics are becoming more sophisticated. Social media companies, governments, and other organizations are now struggling to keep up.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Response to Misinformation<\/p>\n Combating Internet Misinformation can oftentimes seem like a losing battle for those involved. Social Media Companies have devoted full-time teams to the effort. State Governments like Michigan are working to keep the most accurate information at the forefront of debates.<\/p>\n Social media companies have specifically come under intense criticism for their response to the rise of misinformation. On the left, with lawmakers like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, people are wondering why false information so easily spreads to vast amounts of people. Liberals want social media companies to do much more to fight misinformation.<\/p>\n While people on the right, like Republicans criticize social media companies for what they see as a bias toward liberal viewpoints. They want social media companies to have no role in moderating political speech, whether it\u2019s false or not. Allowing people to decide for themselves what is true.<\/p>\n Organizations like the League of Women Voters have been at the forefront of providing correct information to voters. Through initiatives like their online voter guide<\/span><\/a>, the League of Women Voters has been able to situate itself as a trustworthy source for election information.<\/p>\n