Social media platforms are making attempts to right the ship of state in the wake of stories of manipulation of social media, but the public should take some responsibility in checking the spread of fake news, said Jess Clifton, U.S. head of digital at Edelman.
A lot of people are eager to take the platforms down, but they are trying to improve while maintaining free speech. The public needs to be more informed and discriminating about fact-checking material before sharing it.
“It’s easy to point the blame back to the platforms, but I think we need point the blame back to ourselves a little bit too and be thoughtful about what we’re sharing and what we’re consuming,” Clifton told Velocitize Talks during South by Southwest.
Edelman presented a report based on its annual Trust Barometer survey during the SXSW conference that showed media insiders had even less trust of technology than the general public. They understand the reality of different technologies such as Blockchain and artificial intelligence, and the hurdles they will have to clear to be effective, said Clifton: “The more you know the less you trust.”
Brands that want to step into the breach need to commit resources to make worthwhile content, she said: “Content strategy now more than ever is more important for brands.”
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