Like never before social media could determine the outcome of the election but not in ways that are ... [+]
One of the great dangers of social media is that it can all too easily allow misinformation and even disinformation to spread. While that is always a concern, on Election Day misinformation/disinformation shared on social platforms could impact an election. If claims about election results are shared early or are wildly incorrect that could dissuade citizens from turning out to vote.
Like never before social media could determine the outcome of the election but not in ways that are true to the democratic process. If used for nefarious purposes social media could be a tool that destroys democracy.
This is why Twitter announced it would take action to stop the spread of false claims. The official Twitter Support account (@TwittersSupport) announced, "We may label Tweets, starting on election night, that make claims about election results before they’re officially called. We’ll be prioritizing the presidential election and other highly contested races where there may be significant issues with misleading information."
Additionally, Twitter noted "Tweets are eligible to be labeled if:
1. The account has a US 2020 candidate label (including presidential candidates & campaigns)
2. The account is US-based with more than 100k followers, or
3. They have significant engagement (25k likes or 25k Quote Tweets + Retweets)."
Results from all elections will only be considered official when announced by a state election official, or when calls are made by at least two national news outlets.
Additionally, when attempting to retweet misleading information, users will be pointed to more credible information.
YouTube Following Suit
Video sharing service YouTube also announced that it is taking similar measures for Election Day. In an official blog post, YouTube noted last week, "Our Community Guidelines do not allow misleading claims about voting or content that encourages interference in the democratic process. In addition, we have established policies prohibiting hate speech, harassment, deceptive practices and incitement to violence."
YouTube also noted that "Fast-moving events," such as elections could produce unverified claims. To combat this YouTube announced it will post election results information at the top of search results for a broad range of queries. Google, which owns and operates YouTube, is also working with The Associated Press to provide the most "authoritative election results."
Maintaining Election Integrity
This has been generally seen as a step in the right direction for the social media platforms said experts.
"It's sensible for Twitter and other social platforms to analyze and label misinformation on Election Day," said technology industry analyst Charles King of Pund-IT.
"Since numerous parties are likely to try using social platforms to spread bogus information on Election Day, the platforms need to protect themselves and their users from such ruses," added King.
These steps by Twitter and the other social media companies should also ensure that misinformation can't easily be used to sway an election. In many ways this is in-line with the due diligence that traditional media outlets will employ as the polls close.
"Verifying sources is nothing new for social media platforms," said Josh Raper, vice president of marketing for social media data analytics company Affinity Answers.
"Verified user identifications are used widely across Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and even Tik Tok," added Raper. "They are vital to ensuring that the information coming from reputable sources is actually coming from that source. This is what we believe Twitter is endeavoring to do here and we think it is incredibly important. Labeling tweets containing election result information does not infringe on free speech, rather it will create safeguards by letting everyday users know who has access to accurate information about the election versus those who may be acting with politically motivated biases or have potentially harmful agendas."
Telecommunications Act
What is notable about the decision of Twitter and the other platforms is that they didn't have to take this course of action.
"Props to Jack Dorsey and the rest of the Twitter team as they continue to take the lead on policing what is spread online. Tech companies have hid behind poorly written law that protects them from what their users post on their platforms," suggested Josh Crandall, technology industry analyst at Netpop Research.
Crandall referred to section 230 of the 1996 Telecommunications act, which shields technology companies from the same responsibilities to verify and fact-check content posted by media companies.
"In today's world, it's hard to discern whether Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube are simply tech platforms or media companies," he added. "After all, they are designing their technology to capture as many eyeballs for as long as possible."
It is likely that Facebook and other platforms will follow this lead.
"The technology these companies created didn't simply come this way 'out of the box,'" noted Crandall. "Intentional design decisions were made from top-to-bottom to create addictive experiences. It's imperative that the companies which make money from increasing the time and attention their users spend on their platforms for news and other content take responsibility for the negative consequences that their technology has enabled."
The Biggest Loser
While a winner may or may not be known on Tuesday evening, it is likely that social media platforms could be the losers, regardless of who actually wins. The losers in elections at all levels will cast blame and there is no denying that social media platforms will be the crosshairs come Wednesday morning.
"It's so worth noting that Twitter and other companies are likely to be excoriated whatever they do," said Pund-IT's King. "Then again, they've spent the last four years being blamed en masse for not being diligent about Russia and others hacking the 2016 election. It appears that they've decided it's better to be too careful than to let outsiders manipulate your platform for their own ends."
