91茄子

American University communication experts are warning that incorrect information, often intentional, is rampant leading up to Nov. 3.

鈥淲e tend to be in a vacuum with social media and at times we follow people that have similar beliefs and similar likes,鈥� said Jason Mollica, a professorial lecturer in the School of Communication at American University.

A voter outside a Northern Virginia polling site agreed that information can be viewed in silos.

鈥淚鈥檓 mostly on Facebook,鈥� said Jessie Chirino, 34, at the Courthouse, Virginia, voting location. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 see much of what I dislike, maybe because I cater it more towards what I do like to see.鈥�

According to , the majority of Americans surveyed believe that the burden for the spread of misinformation falls on tech and social media companies. The issue was front and center again Oct. 28 on Capitol Hill when a pressed Twitter, Google, and Facebook CEOs on how they moderate, or not, political speech on their platforms.

More than of Americans polled believe that tech giants have too much power with regard to swaying public opinion. The report said 93% of Americans are concerned about misinformation online and 71% say tech and internet companies are doing a poor job of preventing its spread (Sarah Salem / 91茄子).

To help voters sort through misinformation and disinformation about the election, AU experts focused on these warning signs:

1. Be wary of something that looks 鈥渢oo good to be true鈥�

鈥淲hat鈥檚 most helpful to look out for is something that confirms your beliefs a little too much,鈥� said Ericka Menchen-Trevino, AU assistant professor.

鈥淔or example, half the country, if they saw Donald Trump kicked a puppy, they would believe it. But if the other side saw Donald Trump ran into a building and saved a child, they would believe it,鈥� she said.

Mollica agreed. 鈥淚t comes to how much do you believe the messenger,鈥� he said. 鈥淧eople will believe anything. If you start seeing posts on Facebook that really look too good to be true, be aware.鈥�

2. Be skeptical of information not verified by a reliable source

鈥淚f you don鈥檛 see many other people in your network posting things like this, that鈥檚 something to be aware of,鈥� Mollica said.

Outside the Courthouse voting station, precinct captain for the Arlington County Democratic Committee Michael Angeloni, 32, said he tries to do his research and verify a source.

鈥淵ou should pay attention to what the link is,鈥� Angeloni said. 鈥淒epending on who鈥檚 sharing it, that can be a good way to know. What kind of news source is it, what kind of news do they post. If it鈥檚 not an outlet you recognize, look into it.鈥�

Chirino says she will look on Google to see if other sources corroborate what she saw.

鈥淚f I see it on multiple sources, then that probably confirms it happened,鈥� she said. 鈥淕oogle is my best friend.鈥�

3. Be alert if the account posting the information looks suspicious

Saif Shahin, AU assistant professor, said to figure out which accounts are bots on the internet. 鈥淏ots鈥� are computer-generated accounts that can post on the internet, usually on Twitter.

鈥淏ots often spread misinformation,鈥� Shahin said. 鈥淭hey have very few followers but tend to follow a lot of people. They鈥檙e there to spread misinformation.鈥�

Mollica said you can spot bots by looking at both the username and the content. If the account was just created, and there are either numbers in the username or the user and profile name don鈥檛 match up, that鈥檚 an indicator.

鈥淗ow are they posting,鈥� he said regarding the content itself. 鈥淚f the content in the post is very broken, or seems like it was generated by a computer, that鈥檚 something that would be a red flag.鈥�

4. Avoid the 鈥渟ock puppet鈥� account

Aram Sinnreich, AU professor and chair of the Communication Studies division, said a sock puppet account is an account used solely for deception purposes.

鈥淔or example, you might see a Facebook group of people claiming to be 鈥楲GBT Americans for Trump,鈥欌�� he said. 鈥淏ut you might not recognize the names of the organizers because they鈥檙e not real people, they鈥檙e characters created for the purpose of spreading disinformation.鈥�

5. Be vigilant about something exploiting someone鈥檚 mistrust in an institution

As an example, Mollica mentioned that the theory was spread by a group of people who shared a distrust in the government and mainstream media.

Sinnreich agreed. 鈥淧ublic trust levels in the media, government, scientific and academic institutions are at all-time lows right now,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 because the public sphere has been flooded with narratives that challenge the integrity and authority of these institutions often without basis.鈥�

The best advice the experts had was to be vigilant, verify all sources and be thorough before reposting something. Sinnreich recommends users do this whether a post goes with or against their own political beliefs.

鈥淚 think, for instance, that Donald Trump is a racist,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut if someone I鈥檝e never heard of says, 鈥業 heard Donald Trump say the N-word,鈥� even if I believe Donald Trump is capable of that, I should not retweet or repost that claim until I verify its truth.鈥�

Mollica said the days before the election will spring a lot of information on everyone, true or not.

鈥淚n the coming days, people need to make sure they鈥檙e paying close attention to what鈥檚 being posted,鈥� he said. 鈥淎s we get closer and closer to the election, you need to have a clear mind.鈥�