useapen
2024-01-21 06:16:02 UTC
Social media is still not doing enough to stop misinformation denying the
existence and causes of climate change.
Thats the finding of a review of climate-related conversations on social
media platforms by the public interest research organization Advance
Democracy.
Despite company pledges to crack down, falsehoods, hoaxes and conspiracy
theories circulated with few warning labels or links to credible
information in 2023, contributing to a dramatic surge in the number of
posts denying climate change last year, according to the report shared
exclusively with USA TODAY.
Nowhere was that surge more evident than on X, formerly Twitter, where the
number of posts containing terms linked to climate change denial more than
tripled for the second year in a row, Advance Democracy found.
Advance Democracy saw a significant increase in posts that dismiss climate
change as an exaggeration or a hoax on Facebook.
Of the 10 Facebook posts with the most interactions, eight either denied
climate change or promoted conspiracy theories. None included a link to
Facebooks Climate Science Information Center or a fact check.
TikTok also failed to rein in falsehoods. Even after the short-form video
platform adopted a policy prohibiting climate misinformation last year,
videos that deny or downplay climate change were viewed millions of times
on the app.
Advance Democracy says that in its review only YouTube has improved. Eight
of nine specific climate change denial phrases identified in Advance
Democracys 2022 report are now accompanied by scientific information on
climate change on the platform.
When it comes to misinformation about climate change, YouTubes systems
work to raise up content from high-quality sources in search results and
recommendations," YouTube said in a statement to USA TODAY, adding that it
strives to "connect viewers to additional context from third parties like
the United Nations."
The other companies - X, Facebook and TikTok - did not comment directly on
the Advance Democracy report.
The stakes have never been higher, according to Michael Mann, a climate
scientist and professor at the University of Pennsylvania.
Climate change is one of the most contentious debates raging on social
media platforms which have emerged as a critical battleground to control
the narrative about climate change especially for the TikTok generation,
Mann said.
"Social media is a primary means by which young people - those most likely
to see the worst consequences of climate change - get their information
today," he said. "This trend suggests that bad actors have made a
concerted effort to weaponize social media in a way that is especially
targeted toward young people."
For years, climate scientists have pushed social media companies to
identify and remove posts and videos denying climate change, disputing its
causes, or underplaying its effects.
Social media companies say their policies prohibit climate change
misinformation that undermines scientific consensus - such as denying the
existence of climate change or the factors that contribute to it - while
allowing discussions about climate change policies or personal views about
extreme weather events.
John Cook, a senior research fellow at the University of Melbourne in
Australia, says the rising wave of climate misinformation shows that
companies are still not taking the threat of climate misinformation
seriously enough.
What the platforms are doing is inadequate, Cook said.
After years of building robust content moderation systems, social media
companies facing political pressure and economic headwinds have pulled
back on gatekeeping, part of an industry trend that some fear could roll
back safeguards that clamp down on misinformation.
X has not changed its official policy on climate change misinformation
under the new ownership of Elon Musk, who took over the platform in
October 2022. But Musk has gutted the platforms content moderation
operations and slashed staff responsible for monitoring misinformation.
The rollback of moderation policies and the apparent reduction of content
moderation staff appears to have had a substantial impact on the
prevalence of climate change misinformation on social media platforms,
Daniel Jones, president of Advance Democracy, told USA TODAY.
Social media posts reviewed by Advance Democracy are routinely peppered
with references to climate scam and climate cult or claims that global
warming is a hoax or that climate scientists are con artists.
When smoke from Canadian wildfires blanketed much of the U.S. last year,
for example, conspiracy theorists falsely claimed that the fires were
intentionally set to promote a fake climate emergency.
Though the public perception of climate change is shifting, it remains a
politically divisive issue, with Democrats and Republicans growing further
apart in the last decade in how they gauge the threat, according to the
Pew Research Center.
Nearly 8 in 10 Democrats (78%) say climate change is a major threat to the
country, up from about 6 in 10 a decade ago. About 1 in 4 Republicans
describe climate change as a major threat, about the same as 10 years ago.
Few in the GOP deny that burning oil, gas and coal has produced gasses
that are heating the planet but many climate skeptics see the proposed
solutions weaning off fossil fuels in favor of solar, wind and other
energy sources as a threat to the economy and Americans livelihoods and
freedoms.
Social media is a primary means by which young people those most likely
to see the worst consequences of climate change get their information
today, Mann said.
Scientists say the warming of the planet is chiefly caused by human
activities that emit heat-trapping greenhouse gasses. The effects include
higher sea levels, drought, wildfires, increased precipitation and wetter
hurricanes.
Climate skeptics use social media to undercut evidence of human
involvement in climate change. Their tactics are often effective,
misleading people and chilling debate, said Cook of the University of
Melbourne.
The unchecked wave of climate misinformation is further eroding public
understanding of climate change and public trust in science and
scientists, researchers warn.
The Center for Countering Digital Hate which recently reviewed videos on
YouTube found that climate change skeptics are switching tactics to
discredit the climate solutions proposed by scientists and the scientists
themselves.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2024/01/19/climate-change-denial-
spreading-social-media/72257689007/
existence and causes of climate change.
Thats the finding of a review of climate-related conversations on social
media platforms by the public interest research organization Advance
Democracy.
Despite company pledges to crack down, falsehoods, hoaxes and conspiracy
theories circulated with few warning labels or links to credible
information in 2023, contributing to a dramatic surge in the number of
posts denying climate change last year, according to the report shared
exclusively with USA TODAY.
Nowhere was that surge more evident than on X, formerly Twitter, where the
number of posts containing terms linked to climate change denial more than
tripled for the second year in a row, Advance Democracy found.
Advance Democracy saw a significant increase in posts that dismiss climate
change as an exaggeration or a hoax on Facebook.
Of the 10 Facebook posts with the most interactions, eight either denied
climate change or promoted conspiracy theories. None included a link to
Facebooks Climate Science Information Center or a fact check.
TikTok also failed to rein in falsehoods. Even after the short-form video
platform adopted a policy prohibiting climate misinformation last year,
videos that deny or downplay climate change were viewed millions of times
on the app.
Advance Democracy says that in its review only YouTube has improved. Eight
of nine specific climate change denial phrases identified in Advance
Democracys 2022 report are now accompanied by scientific information on
climate change on the platform.
When it comes to misinformation about climate change, YouTubes systems
work to raise up content from high-quality sources in search results and
recommendations," YouTube said in a statement to USA TODAY, adding that it
strives to "connect viewers to additional context from third parties like
the United Nations."
The other companies - X, Facebook and TikTok - did not comment directly on
the Advance Democracy report.
The stakes have never been higher, according to Michael Mann, a climate
scientist and professor at the University of Pennsylvania.
Climate change is one of the most contentious debates raging on social
media platforms which have emerged as a critical battleground to control
the narrative about climate change especially for the TikTok generation,
Mann said.
"Social media is a primary means by which young people - those most likely
to see the worst consequences of climate change - get their information
today," he said. "This trend suggests that bad actors have made a
concerted effort to weaponize social media in a way that is especially
targeted toward young people."
For years, climate scientists have pushed social media companies to
identify and remove posts and videos denying climate change, disputing its
causes, or underplaying its effects.
Social media companies say their policies prohibit climate change
misinformation that undermines scientific consensus - such as denying the
existence of climate change or the factors that contribute to it - while
allowing discussions about climate change policies or personal views about
extreme weather events.
John Cook, a senior research fellow at the University of Melbourne in
Australia, says the rising wave of climate misinformation shows that
companies are still not taking the threat of climate misinformation
seriously enough.
What the platforms are doing is inadequate, Cook said.
After years of building robust content moderation systems, social media
companies facing political pressure and economic headwinds have pulled
back on gatekeeping, part of an industry trend that some fear could roll
back safeguards that clamp down on misinformation.
X has not changed its official policy on climate change misinformation
under the new ownership of Elon Musk, who took over the platform in
October 2022. But Musk has gutted the platforms content moderation
operations and slashed staff responsible for monitoring misinformation.
The rollback of moderation policies and the apparent reduction of content
moderation staff appears to have had a substantial impact on the
prevalence of climate change misinformation on social media platforms,
Daniel Jones, president of Advance Democracy, told USA TODAY.
Social media posts reviewed by Advance Democracy are routinely peppered
with references to climate scam and climate cult or claims that global
warming is a hoax or that climate scientists are con artists.
When smoke from Canadian wildfires blanketed much of the U.S. last year,
for example, conspiracy theorists falsely claimed that the fires were
intentionally set to promote a fake climate emergency.
Though the public perception of climate change is shifting, it remains a
politically divisive issue, with Democrats and Republicans growing further
apart in the last decade in how they gauge the threat, according to the
Pew Research Center.
Nearly 8 in 10 Democrats (78%) say climate change is a major threat to the
country, up from about 6 in 10 a decade ago. About 1 in 4 Republicans
describe climate change as a major threat, about the same as 10 years ago.
Few in the GOP deny that burning oil, gas and coal has produced gasses
that are heating the planet but many climate skeptics see the proposed
solutions weaning off fossil fuels in favor of solar, wind and other
energy sources as a threat to the economy and Americans livelihoods and
freedoms.
Social media is a primary means by which young people those most likely
to see the worst consequences of climate change get their information
today, Mann said.
Scientists say the warming of the planet is chiefly caused by human
activities that emit heat-trapping greenhouse gasses. The effects include
higher sea levels, drought, wildfires, increased precipitation and wetter
hurricanes.
Climate skeptics use social media to undercut evidence of human
involvement in climate change. Their tactics are often effective,
misleading people and chilling debate, said Cook of the University of
Melbourne.
The unchecked wave of climate misinformation is further eroding public
understanding of climate change and public trust in science and
scientists, researchers warn.
The Center for Countering Digital Hate which recently reviewed videos on
YouTube found that climate change skeptics are switching tactics to
discredit the climate solutions proposed by scientists and the scientists
themselves.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2024/01/19/climate-change-denial-
spreading-social-media/72257689007/