Dubious Information Research Articles

Detecting coordinated and bot-like behavior in Twitter: the Jürgen Conings case

Social media platforms can play a pivotal role in shaping public opinion during times of crisis and controversy. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a large amount of dubious information being shared online. In Belgium, a crisis emerged during the pandemic when a soldier (Jürgen Conings) went missing with stolen weaponry after threatening politicians and virologists. This case created further division and polarization in online discussions. In this paper, we develop a methodology to study the potential of coordinated spread of incorrect information online. We combine network science and content analysis to infer and study the social network of users discussing the case, the news websites shared by those users, and their narratives. Additionally, we examined indications of bots or coordinated behavior among the users. Our findings reveal the presence of distinct communities within the discourse. Major news outlets, conspiracy theory websites, and anti-vax platforms were identified as the primary sources of (dis)information sharing. We also detected potential coordinated behavior and bot activity, indicating possible attempts to manipulate the discourse. We used the rapid semantic similarity network for the analysis of text, but our approach can be extended to the analysis of images, videos, and other types of content. These results provide insights into the role of social media in shaping public opinion during times of crisis and underscore the need for improved strategies to detect and mitigate disinformation campaigns and online discourse manipulation. Our research can aid intelligence community members in identifying and disrupting networks that spread extremist ideologies and false information, thereby promoting a more informed and resilient society.

Exploring the use of emotional sentiment to understanding market response to unexpected corporate pivots

This article studies the influence of social media sentiment on stock prices, focusing on significant shifts by Eastman Kodak. Utilising a unique emotion-based lexicon, the research indicates that social media sentiment immediately reflects stock market responses to major corporate changes. The sentiment techniques used align with the timeline of Kodak’s announcements. Excitement was found to have the greatest impact on Kodak’s prices. However, emotions like anxiety, panic, and revulsion indicated a notable negative social media reaction. The study cautions against the potential volatility in the market when many investors react to the same dubious information. These findings emphasise the significance of adhering to legal and regulatory standards in corporate governance and advocate for transparency and accountability in policy-making for a more reliable financial system.

Clickbait as a Linguistic and Cultural Phenomenon (Based on Russian-, French-, and English-language Material)

This article considers a specific type of headline that is common in modern mass media discourse, namely clickbait. The novelty of the research is in the object of study and the material represented in three languages – Russian, English and French. Clickbait as a phenomenon has not been investigated before, nor has its national and cultural specificity in the three analysed linguistic cultures; this fact determines the relevance of the study. The analysis of the language material was based on the hypothetical-deductive method, the continuous sampling method, and on stylistic and contextual analysis. The purpose of this work is to identify the content and stylistic characteristics of clickbait in the Russian -, English- and French-speaking information space. Initially, the English-language lexeme “clickbait” was borrowed into Russian and French, where it received additional nominations. In the Russian language, this word is almost assimilated as a language unit. The authors believe that clickbait is a type of a manipulative influence exerted on the mass audience, the essence of which is to attract and retain the recipient’s attention using false or dubious information. To this end, a variety of language and audio-visual tools are used that allow us to assign clickbait to a creolized text type. The authors believe that clickbait is a global phenomenon in the modern information space, whose national and cultural specificity is determined by a national “agenda.” The article is addressed to philologists, psychologists and sociologists. The research results may also be useful for undergraduate and postgraduate students specializing in the Humanities.

Did Shevchenko paint a portrait of Maria Kozachkovska? The problem of reliability of her grandson’s memoirs

In this article the author focuses on the important problem of reliability of Maria Kozachkovska’s memoirs as recorded by her grandson Andrii Kozachkovskyi Jr. Therefore, the subject of the proposed study is the correspondence of memories with verified facts. The goal was to find out the degree of such correspondence. The goal was achieved by application of the traditional methodology of biographical studies, in particular, cross-checking of the presented information based on reliable sources (documentary, memoir, epistolary, etc.). As a result of the study, it was proved that the publication by Andrii Kozachkovsky Jr. contains unreliable statements. Based on his memoirs, the list of Shevchenko's unaccounted-for artworks in the latest Complete Works included false information. As it turned out, Shevchenko could not have painted the wife of Andrii Kozachkovskyi Senior in Pereiaslav in 1845 because they only got married in 1847. The poet did not write the poem “Marusia” dedicated to her. Some other details reported by the memoirist are the result of fictionalizing of vague recollections of his grandmother's stories, supplemented by the information he knew about Shevchenko's stay in Pereiaslav. Andrii Kozachkovskyi Jr. was hardly able to remember and accurately reproduce his grandmother's stories because of his young age: he was 12–13 years old at the time of her death. M. Kozachkovska’s recollections should not be used when writing a new scholarly biography of the poet. Kozachkovskyi Jr.’s recollections of seeing the first edition of Kobzar with Shevchenko’s letters pasted in it at his uncle Ivan’s house, as well as his later story about his 1860 copy of Kobzar with the author's inscription being stolen, do not seem to be reliable. These testimonies would not have any scholarly significance even if they were completely accurate. In the future, the entire corpus of Shevchenko’s unaccounted-for works should be carefully and meticulously reviewed to discard unreliable or dubious information, clearing the artistic heritage of fictional drawings. This should be one of the important tasks of the next academic edition.

The pandemic changes daily life and ways of living: technosociality and user/families experiences.

understand the changes imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic in the daily lives of users of Primary Health Care and their families and its impact on self-care and health promotion. this is a holistic-qualitative multiple case study, based on the Comprehensive Sociology of Everyday Life, in which 61 users participated. experiencing a new daily life in COVID-19 pandemic times, users express their feelings, adaptation to new habits and ways of living. Health technologies and virtual social networks stand out in helping with everyday tasks, in communicating with loved ones and health professionals, and in validating dubious information. Faith and spirituality arise in the face of uncertainty and suffering. it is imperative to pay close attention to the changes in daily life caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, in order to offer care directed to the singular and collective needs.

Fighting against Fake News Using the Card Game "Follow Me”

The increasing presence of fake news in the media, especially on social media poses significant damage to our society. Disinformation undermines the credibility of conventional media and the authority of government officials, contributing to the destabilization of democratic systems. The coronavirus pandemic has accelerated these processes; people have been forced to function intensively in the online space, with a related increase in the time spent on social networking sites. At the same time, the so-called infodemic has been unleashed. The amount of fake news – especially dubious information related to the coronavirus – has increased significantly. The most effective protection against fake news is continuous education and the development of critical thinking. Traditional educational approaches are not always sufficient and fail to adapt quickly enough to the dynamic development of technology and society. Educational games can effectively reach young audiences, and therefore they are coming to the fore. These educational games include the card game Follow Me, which focuses on introducing the dynamics of social media. The target audience of the game is primarily secondary school students, and it has been developed with an emphasis on effective use within the high school educational process. In the game, players take on the role of social media users in order to gain as many followers as possible, while trying to maintain their credibility and detect fake news published by other players. The game features articles covering four different domains (health, science, geopolitics, and society), and due to this diversity, topics from different domains inevitably emerge during gameplay. The game was published by the Slovak game development studio Impact Games and is currently available in print in Slovak language, with English, Croatian and Slovenian translations already available online. The aim of this paper is to introduce the game Follow Me and analyse its game mechanics, mainly focusing on the educational elements. The main contribution of the study is a deeper understanding of game mechanics that can develop critical thinking and an estimation of their effectiveness in educating players about the safe use of social media.

A platform penalty for news? How social media context can alter information credibility online

ABSTRACT Growing concern about dubious information online threatens the credibility of legitimate news. We examine two possible mechanisms for this effect on social media. First, people might view all news on social media as less credible. Second, questionable information elsewhere in a news feed might discredit legitimate news coverage. Findings from a preregistered experiment confirm that people see information on Facebook as less credible than identical information on news websites, though the effect is small, suggesting that observational data overstates this platform penalty. Prior exposure to low (versus high) credibility information on Facebook also reduces engagement with a target article, but not its perceived credibility. However, exploratory analyses show that the effects of prior exposure to low credibility information vary depending on the plausibility of the target article, decreasing the credibility of a less plausible article (a spillover effect) but increasing the credibility of a more plausible one (a contrast effect).

The Impact of Social Media on Skin Care: A Narrative Review

Introduction. Social media has completely taken over multiple aspects of our lives, it has a prominent influence on an individual’s decisions, particularly regarding their lifestyle. Social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok play a prominent role in one’s choices on their skin care, cosmetics, aesthetic procedures, and dermatological treatments. The aim of the study. To review current literature on the role of social media and its impact on skin care. Materials and methods. Search databases – Google Scholar, Research4life, ScienceDirect, PubMed, and Scopus were used. Employing content analysis, methods of comparative analysis & bibliosemantics the literature survey concerning social media and its impact on social media, was conducted. A total of 50 English language publications were selected and thoroughly reviewed based on their relevance to the subject. Results. The beauty industry uses social media as a marketing strategy to reach out to its consumers around the globe, particularly targeting consumers like adolescents and women with skin problems. In recent years, social media has turned from an entertainment platform to an educational platform for many users, providing awareness about various skin-related conditions such as skin cancer and even acne treatment. Dermatologists and medical aestheticians are being proactive in sharing information about common skin conditions. Although currently the dependency on social media has increased due to a variety of reasons, there exists a large amount of false and dubious information on the social media posted by unverified users with no legitimate medical background, hence using these sites for making choices related to our skin care is still a debatable option. Conclusions. A dermatologist is no longer the sole patient advisor, this role being gradually replaced by social media. As a result, social media users are well informed having access to a variety of information, resulting in a large number of people being influenced over their skin care choices. This may do more harm than profit, since every skin is fairly individual organ and a generalized skin care routine may not provide the desirable look one strives for.

A Downward Spiral? A Panel Study of Misinformation and Media Trust in Chile

Despite widespread concern, research on the consequences of misinformation on people's attitudes is surprisingly scant. To fill in this gap, the current study examines the long-term relationship between misinformation and trust in the news media. Based on the reinforcing spirals model, we analyzed data from a three-wave panel survey collected in Chile between 2017 and 2019. We found a weak, over-time relationship between misinformation and media skepticism. Specifically, initial beliefs on factually dubious information were negatively correlated with subsequent levels of trust in the news media. Lower trust in the media, in turn, was related over time to higher levels of misinformation. However, we found no evidence of a reverse, parallel process where media trust shielded users against misinformation, further reinforcing trust in the news media. The lack of evidence of a downward spiral suggests that the corrosive effects of misinformation on attitudes toward the news media are less serious than originally suggested. We close with a discussion of directions for future research.

Sine trigonometric operational laws and its based Pythagorean fuzzy aggregation operators for group decision-making process

The paper aims are to impersonate some robust sine-trigonometric operations laws to determine the group decision-making process under the Pythagorean fuzzy set (PFS) situation. The PFS has a notable feature to trade with the dubious information with a broader membership representation space than the intuitionistic fuzzy set. Based on it, the present paper is classified into three phases. The first phase is to introduce new operational laws for PFS. The main idea behind these proposed operations is to incorporate the qualities of the sine function, namely periodicity and symmetric about the origin towards the decisions of the objects. Secondly, based on these laws, numerous operators to aggregate the information are acquired along with their requisite properties and relations. Finally, an algorithm to interpret the multiattribute group decision making problem is outlined based on the stated operators and manifest it with an illustrative example. A detailed comparative interpretation is achieved with some of the existing methods to reveal their influences.

Atividade física na era da pós-verdade:

O envolvimento com informações disponibilizadas no ambiente das redes sociais virtuais, a falta de cuidado na escolha das fontes e a fugacidade na divulgação de informações duvidosas podem trazer riscos, principalmente quando envolvem a saúde. Assim, o objetivo foi analisar a percepção dos usuários acerca do impacto das redes sociais virtuais tanto na busca sobre informações quanto na prática de atividades físicas. Por meio de entrevista com 15 praticantes de atividades físicas, informações importantes como a aparência física dos influenciadores ser critério ao invés da formação na escolha das informações e a percepção de vulnerabilidade foram encontradas. Assim, destaca-se a importância de maiores reflexões sobre o tema, promovendo maior conscientização e minimizando riscos.

Adjudicative Refutation of Dubious Information Spread in Social Media

The following article is a comprehensive rebuttal of dubious information spread throughout the social media, based on scientific materials in judicial practice. It includes the development of theoretical principles as well as practical application of the law in protection of human dignity in civil legal proceedings. The author provides an analysis of standard information, scientific literature and judicial practice as to the steps in the rebuttal in civil legal procedures of dubious information spread throughout social media and provides resolutions and proposals regarding the legal applications in protection of the honour and dignity of persons who intend to dispute such information. The article deals with the judicial components of the offence i.e. spreading of information to at least one person by any means; spreading information which refers to an individual or a legal entity i.e. a plaintiff; spreading dubious information i.e. that is information that does not correspond to the facts; spreading information that violates persona l non-property rights i.e. causes harm to personal welfare or prevents a person from realizing his personal non-property rights completely and timely. The author elaborates on each of these elements to the degree that their sum satisfies the demands of the claim. The form of protection of personal non-property rights, particularly those of dignity and honour, the right to the inviolability of a business reputation, is the choice of the plaintiff. In addition, the plaintiff may choose a general as well as a specific form of protection of his rights set out by the law that regulates specific legal relations. The author considers separately the problem of selecting a respondent (co-respondent) in specific cases (difficult in the selection of an appropriate respondent), where a most defenceless situation is created: without the establishment of appropriate respondents it is impossible both to contest the authenticity of the information which violates the honour and dignity of the individual and to provide compensation for the moral harm.

Penggunaan Internet sebagai sumber informasi dalam penyusunan karya ilmiah Siswa SMA Negeri 8 Yogyakarta

Currently, the internet is one of the essential and user-friendly sources of information, even by students at the school. On the other hand, internet users also run the risk of obtaining inaccurate information or hoaxes. This study aimed to determine the behavior of using the internet as a source of information by Senior High School students (SMA), considering high school students began to be exposed to the internet when writing simple research reports. The research method used was documentation with a quantitative approach, namely by observing some written works of students from grade X (first year) of the State Senior High School 8 Yogyakarta in the 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 school year. The student's essay consists of three disciplines, namely biological science, engineering, and technology, as well as social science and humanities. The study focused on sources of information from the internet used in the scientific papers. Each paper’s list of reference was analyzed by grouping internet citations. Results showed that from 166 sample papers, the internet dominated the reference sources listed in the bibliography, with a percentage of around 60%. The types of internet sites that were widely cited by students were blogs, repositories, and general websites. More than 95% of sites used were in the Indonesian language. In conclusion, senior high school students need further assistance in accessing the internet, primarily to identify valid sources of information and avoid dubious information sources.

“Life never matters in the DEMOCRATS MIND”: Examining strategies of retweeted social bots during a mass shooting event

ABSTRACTThis exploratory study examines the strategies of social bots on Twitter that were retweeted following a mass shooting event. Using a case study method to frame our work, we collected over seven million tweets during a one‐month period following a mass shooting in Parkland, Florida. From this dataset, we selected retweets of content generated by over 400 social bot accounts to determine what strategies these bots were using and the effectiveness of these strategies as indicated by the number of retweets. We employed qualitative and quantitative methods to capture both macro‐ and micro‐level perspectives. Our findings suggest that bots engage in more diverse strategies than solely waging disinformation campaigns, including baiting and sharing information. Further, we found that while bots amplify conversation about mass shootings, humans were primarily responsible for disseminating bot‐generated content. These findings add depth to the current understanding of bot strategies and their effectiveness. Understanding these strategies can inform efforts to combat dubious information as well as more insidious disinformation campaigns.

Weighted membership based on matrix relation

Deciding participation level of a component to dubious information is essential, particularly all things considered are displaying issues. This paper will present a participation capacity of components that has a place with unverifiable information. The fundamental instrument is the similarity classes that came about because of the likeness connection of a data framework. We will likewise express a few properties and an examination between our work and the past one.

Fake news portrayals of stem cells and stem cell research.

This study examines how stem cells and stem cell research are portrayed on websites deemed to be purveyors of distorted and dubious information. Content analysis was conducted on 224 articles from 2015 to 2016, compiled by searching with the keywords 'stem cell(s)' on a list of websites flagged for containing either 'fake' or 'junk science' news. Articles contained various exaggerated positive and negative claims about stem cells and stem cell science, health and science related conspiracy theories, and statements promoting fear and mistrust of conventional medicine. Findings demonstrate the existence of organized misinformation networks, which may lead the public away from accurate information and facilitate a polarization of public discourse.

Post-learning arousal enhances veridical memory and reduces false memory in the Deese-Roediger-McDermott paradigm

The Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) paradigm examines false memory by introducing words associated with a non-presented ‘critical lure’ as memoranda, which typically causes the lures to be remembered as frequently as studied words. Our prior work has shown enhanced veridical memory and reduced misinformation effects when arousal is induced after learning (i.e., during memory consolidation). These effects have not been examined in the DRM task, or with signal detection analysis, which can elucidate the mechanisms underlying memory alterations. Thus, 130 subjects studied and then immediately recalled six DRM lists, one after another, and then watched a 3-min arousing (n=61) or neutral (n=69) video. Recognition tested 70min later showed that arousal induced after learning led to better delayed discrimination of studied words from (a) critical lures, and (b) other non-presented ‘weak associates.’ Furthermore, arousal reduced liberal response bias (i.e., the tendency toward accepting dubious information) for studied words relative to all foils, including critical lures and ‘weak associates.’ Thus, arousal induced after learning effectively increased the distinction between signal and noise by enhancing access to verbatim information and reducing endorsement of dubious information. These findings provide important insights into the cognitive mechanisms by which arousal modulates early memory consolidation processes.

Computational Fact Checking from Knowledge Networks.

Traditional fact checking by expert journalists cannot keep up with the enormous volume of information that is now generated online. Computational fact checking may significantly enhance our ability to evaluate the veracity of dubious information. Here we show that the complexities of human fact checking can be approximated quite well by finding the shortest path between concept nodes under properly defined semantic proximity metrics on knowledge graphs. Framed as a network problem this approach is feasible with efficient computational techniques. We evaluate this approach by examining tens of thousands of claims related to history, entertainment, geography, and biographical information using a public knowledge graph extracted from Wikipedia. Statements independently known to be true consistently receive higher support via our method than do false ones. These findings represent a significant step toward scalable computational fact-checking methods that may one day mitigate the spread of harmful misinformation.

News in an online world: The need for an “automatic crap detector”

ABSTRACTWidespread adoption of internet technologies has changed the way that news is created and consumed. The current online news environment is one that incentivizes speed and spectacle in reporting, at the cost of fact‐checking and verification. The line between user generated content and traditional news has also become increasingly blurred. This poster reviews some of the professional and cultural issues surrounding online news and argues for a two‐pronged approach inspired by Hemingway's “automatic crap detector” (Manning, 1965) in order to address these problems: a) proactive public engagement by educators, librarians, and information specialists to promote digital literacy practices; b) the development of automated tools and technologies to assist journalists in vetting, verifying, and fact‐checking, and to assist news readers by filtering and flagging dubious information.

Consumer Health Column: Resources for New Parents – The First Year

New parents often have many questions about their baby’s health. Breastfeeding, starting solids, vaccinations, and growth and development are just a few of the topics that might come up in the first year of life. As the mom of a 2-year-old boy, I’ve experienced the information overload that comes with infancy and toddlerhood. Friends and family offer advice that is well intentioned but may be outdated or not based on medical evidence. The Internet, in addition to being a source of dubious information, is a gladiatorial arena for proponents of various parenting beliefs, with bloggers and commenters duking it out over everything from breastfeeding to whether or not to vaccinate your child. As a medical librarian, I’m fortunate to know where to seek credible information on my child’s health issues. Here is my roundup of evidence-based, parent-friendly resources to help Canadian parents navigate the first year of life. Due to space limitations, I have not covered infants with special needs or specific medical conditions, but some of the resources may contain relevant information for these parents.