By REBECCA RUTHERDORD
Los Alamos
For the Los Alamos Daily Post
In our digital age, we have access to pretty much anything online, which is great, but also…not so great when so much of what is available online are inflammatory posts on social media, meant to get clicks and views. Misinformation is running rampant.
Viral news is, well, viral. It’s like a bad stomach bug. Your kid gets it and throws up all over you. Before you know it, you’re throwing up all over the place, it gets all over your house, your other kids get it, your husband gets it, vomit everywhere. Yeah this literally happened when my oldest kid was little, good times. But imagine that same virulence, but with digital media, and you get an idea for how quickly news, even fake news, can spread online.
Hurricane season has been particularly bad this year, but it’s important to remember that hurricane season happens every year at this time. It has been an awful season, with terrible costs in human lives and property. The reasons for this appear to be due to warming seas causing more intense storms. Despite this, social media has been inundated with alternative explanations, such as rampant weather manipulation by our government.
After Helene’s path of destruction in North Carolina, rumors have been rampant about FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency). The agency has issued a response to the rumors here. One example is a rumor that a church was found in Chandler, NC with 200 people inside who had been there for days with no food or water. That rumor was found to be completely untrue, and to have been spread largely by people outside the area, as noted in this article.
In addition to the many rumors, such as stories that FEMA has been “bulldozing bodies”, that this is all a conspiracy to give the government access to a lithium mine, there have been many politically targeted rumors trying to undermine FEMA by implying funding is being misdirected.
Now there are even more rumors swirling around Hurricane Milton, including a viral video of an Alexa “predicting” the death toll, strength and more of the hurricane. Another key part of this seems to be the idea that the government is controlling the weather, and has specifically targeted Florida for destruction. People have been tracking NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association) flights in the area of the hurricane, flights that are used for scientific data collection, and using this as an example of the government’s efforts to control the weather in the area.
This is viral media at its worst, and it needs to be stopped. Before sharing something on Facebook, Twitter etc. stop and think about what you are sharing. Does it sound like something that is true, or does it sound like something that is fiction? Keep in mind that many of these viral rumors may actually be propagated by actors from outside the US, working on their own agendas, and social media is simply the tool they use to increase their reach.
Take the time to research those inflammatory stories before sharing, and try to determine for yourself what truth there is before you spread it. If you see something ridiculous online, don’t even comment on it, because by doing so you increase its reach as any interaction, even a negative one, will drive views and likes of the post.
Stay safe online, and use verified reliable news sources rather than social media to get information online. Keep in mind Occam’s razor, the simplest explanation is usually the best one, do your research, and think before you post.
Editor’s note: Rebecca Rutherford works in information technology at Los Alamos National Laboratory.