Social media is a medium through which people spread disinformation

Social media has radically changed not only how we interact with one another, but also how we stay informed about the world that we live in through this interconnectedness. There are 3.6 billion social media users worldwide, and this figure is expected to increase to 4.41 billion within the next 5 years. ^[1] Among these users are common people, politicians, celebrities, and most importantly, media outlets. We are increasingly exposed to thoughts, ideas and opinions whose truth-value we cannot be certain of due to the lack of credibility of the source. That said, such opinions, published by sources with a questionable reputation can be widely disseminated and reach an audience size similar to major news publications such as the New York Times. Facebook is one social networking site through which fake news websites are shared and attract a greater readership with nearly 2 billion users viewing all types of trending content. ^[2] Consequently, it is also a medium through which many are misinformed which is in no way a positive contribution to society. Fake news has real-life implications beyond misinformation and has plagued the political landscape by disseminating news that influences political outcomes. For example, misinformation concerning presidential candidates through fake news publications greatly plagued the 2016 US election. ^[3] With the above said, social media sites are not good for society as they spread disinformation and provide a platform through which fake news can be shared easily and globally.