Election vs Social Media

A recent survey by Social Media Matters and Institute for Governance, Policies, and Politics has revealed that more than 53% of the population has received fake news over various social media platforms due to the upcoming elections. It has been noted that Facebook and WhatsApp are one of the main platforms, which is being used excessively to misinform the users.

India has over 200 million Facebook and WhatsApp users, and it is the largest market for such companies in the world. All thanks to the massive popularity of the Social Media platform in India. The reality of social media has become much more powerful than traditional media.

Facebook, Google, WhatsApp, and Twitter has recently announced a slew of new tools and policies for bringing more transparency as well as to scan political promotion on their platform among users.  

For instance, WhatsApp recently launched an India-focused fact-checking feature to fight fake news and rumours starting with the run-up to the Lok Sabha election. The initiative came after Facebook took down over 700 pages linked to individuals that were said to be associated with BJP and Congress for spamming users.

A user can now report rumours or uncertain information they have received to a WhatsApp number (+91-9643-000-888) and check its authenticity.

The company has also added a “forwarded” label which can help users to identify if that message was forwarded to them or created by the people they know.