With the pandemic, uncertain political climate, and the prevalence of fake news, social media platforms have been increasingly focusing on improving digital literacy and battling the spread of misinformation.
After Facebook, Twitter and Youtube, now TikTok also wants to help its users dodge misleading information.
The popular short-form video app has recently announced a new initiative called ‘#FactCheckYourFeed’. It aims to equip TikTok users with the necessary skills required to “critically engage with content, navigate our platform safely and guard themselves against potential harms.”
How would it work? Tiktok, in its own unique style, will use clips from a range of creators and public figures to disseminate key lessons on how to both detect and avoid misleading information online.
In a statement about the initiative, the company said they take responsibility to help educate their users with utmost seriousness. Thus, Tiktok wants to make sure every user has access to original and the most up to date information by educating them on how to correctly identify if they are potentially consuming inaccurate or harmful information.
According to the latest data from Pew Research, close to 71% of US-based individuals receive their news from social media apps. This is why digital literacy is emerging as a critical consideration for such platforms. And while TikTok is not exactly considered a key source of news, it has lately been targeted by misinformation and disinformation groups who wish considered a key source of such efforts. It has also been targeted by misinformation and disinformation groups as of late.
As per the short-form video platform’s recent transparency report, TikTok removed over a whopping 3,40,00 videos in H2 2020 for breaking the rules surrounding election misinformation.
TikTok’s recent initiative is highly crucial given its popularity among Gen Z or younger audiences on the internet. ‘#FactCheckYourFeed’ can play an essential role in helping younger user groups develop a more critical eye for spotting dodgy information.
TikTok said that their ambition is to encourage their community to ‘dig a little deeper and think a little wider’. The Chinese-origin app believes these skills will not only help people declutter their Tiktok feed but also help them in their everyday lives.
Facebook, quite recently, has announced a similar campaign for battling COVID-19 related misinformation in India. Named ‘#DoctorKiSuno’, the social media behemoth’s campaign will release a series of 12 videos on the Facebook India page wherein doctors will be addressing some of the most commonly asked questions about the ongoing pandemic.
All in all, it is good to observe social media platforms stepping up and taking the initiative to provide the much-needed guidance to their users when it comes to dealing with these modern-day online threats. We will keep you updated on all future developments. Until then, stay tuned.
