A19
GED104 – Science, Technology, and Society (STS)
Fact-Checking
The social media post mentioned above was made concerning the COVID-19
variants, Delta and Omicron, and was recently shared by a Facebook user. It
demonstrates how the recently created variations are connected to "Media Control" if
the letters are rearranged. Even if the context of the post is false, it has received
thousands of shares, likes, and quotes, making it fake news. According to the Asper
Inquirer, the Department of Health (DOH) and the World Health Organization (WHO)
revealed in August that the Philippines presently has the highest prevalence of the
SARS-CoV-2 virus's Delta variant, a highly contagious variant that was previously
found in India. The Department of Health (DOH) acknowledged that the Omicron
variant was present in the nation in mid-December, on the other hand.
The Facebook post makes reference to deceptive situations that can trick users of
social media. The first is the fusion of two distinct variations. It's unclear from the
picture if Delta or Omicron is a single COVID-19 version because the two were
mixed. Next is the connection between "Media Control" and the variations. The false
context may lead one to believe that the media is the only source of control for these
variations. Last but not least, the image above has no informative cues created by the
DOH or WHO and just shows writing in a paper by an unidentified person.
In the midst of the antibody drive, the Philippines has confirmed its most
memorable casualty and privately communicated occurrences of the profoundly
infectious Delta Covid type, as per Aljazeera news, as the nation attempts to increase
its vaccination exertion with almost 400,000 people infused. Moreover, as of
December 31, 2021, the DOH expressed that seven global and three nearby instances
of the Omicron variation of concern had been found. These increments of cases and
awful passings just demonstrate that these new variations are in the nation and were
not scattered by the media to get out counterfeit word. With this, most would agree
that it is significant to comprehend where columnists/journalists are coming from to
grasp the extended and developing hardships they need to manage in a pandemic
while giving dependable data and considering the strong responsible has never been
more basic.
There are both short-term and long-term effects to the rapid spread of erroneous
information and misinformation online. People are easily influenced by their views,
which leads them to act and behave differently than they should. As a result, people
will have a skewed perception of the issue in the short term. If the general public has
these false beliefs, they may make choices that are harmful to their health. Long-term,
people will develop a mistrust of the media, which will encourage more people to
engage in fake news and misinformation instead of believing reliable sources.
Facebook's algorithm serves as an illustration of this. The algorithm makes it such
that if a Facebook user engages with and believes particular false information,
additional false information related postings will show up in their newsfeed,
reinforcing their habit of believing false information.
As an STS student, I can suggest a website that teaches you about COVID-19's
scientific details while also refuting common misconceptions about it. Users take on
the role of a manipulator and practice interacting with others in a social media-themed
simulation. The website shows visitors how emotional language, fake expertise, and
conspiracy theories can all be used to mislead people. Due to my sense of duty, I am
accountable for the content I put on social media, therefore I always check to see
whether it is real. In light of that, I urge my friends to follow suit.
REFERENCES:
Sunnexdesk, & Sunnexdesk. (2021). Philippines detects first local cases of Delta variant.
SunStar Publishing Inc. [Link]
detects-first-local-cases-of-delta-variant
Bernadas, J. M. a. C., & Ilagan, K. (2020). Journalism, public health, and COVID-19: some
preliminary insights from the Philippines. Media International Australia, 177(1),
132–138. [Link]
Gonzales, C. (2021, August 31). Delta now most dominant variant in PH — WHO | Inquirer
News. [Link]. [Link]
dominant-variant-in-ph-who
Deiparine, C. (2021, November 8). Philippines reports 651 more Delta variant cases.
[Link]. [Link]
reports-651-more-delta-variant-cases
