Spotting misinformation is essential when you practice social listening. The resources below will help you evaluate if you can trust what you read, hear, and see.

To begin, let’s clarify what we mean when we say ‘misinformation’ and ‘disinformation.’

Sylvie Douglis and Miles Parks. “Fake News: How To Spot Misinformation,” NPR , October 31, 2019, https://www.npr.org/2019/10/29/774541010/fake-news-is-scary-heres-how-to-spot-misinformation

Douglis and Parks list questions we should ask of the media we encounter and tips for identifying misinformation.

“Fake News - and how to spot it,” BBC, March 20, 2020,  https://www.bbc.com/news/av/stories-51974040

A specialist in disinformation provides tips for spotting fakes based on language, zooming in on images, looking in the background of videos, and checking when an image first appeared. The video also covers possible ways to spot bots.

AJ Willingham, “Is that video real? Fake images and videos are everywhere. Here’s how to spot them,” CNN, October 19, 2020, https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2020/10/us/manipulated-media-tech-fake-news-trnd/

Willingham interviews leading experts in cyber security, media forensics, software engineering, and media literacy to create an illustrated primer for spotting fake video, audio, and photographs. You’ll also learn how to hone your intuition for identifying misinformation and tips for investigating what you see and hear. Take a moment to familiarize yourself with the five types of misinformation described in the article:

• Manipulated media

• Fabricated media

• False context

• Imposter media

• Satire

Jessica Kirkland, “News Groups: A Simple but Powerful Media Literacy Idea to Build Community,” The New York Times, September 23, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/23/learning/news-groups-a-simple-but-powerful-media-literacy-idea-to-build-community.html

High school English teacher Jessica Kirkland adapted the book club model so her students could apply their critical thinking and discussion skills to the news cycle. Kirkland outlines her process, including sample discussion questions. This article is worthwhile for all ages.

It’s important to know where the content you’re seeing originated, who created it, why they created it, and if they’re paying for you to see it. Do not assume that every post you see was created by someone you know and trust.

What are organic posts?

An organic post is one that’s created by an individual, company, or brand on social media that reaches an audience based on algorithms without money being exchanged for access to a viewership. When you see a message created by your friend show up in your Facebook timeline, it is likely an organic post.

What is paid advertising?

Social media companies make money by selling access to the people using their tool. Companies and organizations can pay to have their messages appear in front of you as you scroll.

“Paid social media is another word for advertising. It’s when brands pay money to Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, etc. in order to have their content shared with specific new audiences who are likely to be interested, either through “boosting” their organic content, or designing unique advertisements.” —Paige Cooper, “Organic vs. Paid Social Media,” Hootsuite.com

A “boost” comes from paying money to reach a wider audience which is specified and targeted. Read Facebook’s explanation of boosted posts and ads.

What distinguishes paid posts?

Look for these words or a variation to identify paid content:

• Sponsored

• Promoted

• Paid

• Partnership

Paid content can appear in your timeline, stories, and direct messages. It’s also possible to pay for hashtags to appear in the “Trends for you” and “Explore” sections of Twitter.

The ad examples below have their identifying text highlighted. Notice that paid content can come from publications, brands, and might even appear to come from individuals. These are not exhaustive examples of paid content.

Be aware that sometimes paid content is posted without acknowledgement. Read “Pro-Trump youth group enlists teens in secretive campaign likened to a ‘troll farm,’ prompting rebuke by Facebook and Twitter” as one example of how and why this practice is done. As the article notes, this practice can be a tool for circulating disinformation.

As we mentioned in our article, a social media management tool will allow you to do all your listening, engaging, and posting using one dashboard rather than spending time in each channel. You can focus in on topics and follow how a conversation evolves.

What features should I look for when selecting a social media management tool?

There are many tools on the market. We use Hootsuite, but we won’t be recommending one here since we haven’t tried them all. When you research tools, we recommend you look for these features:

• Integration with the social media profiles you use the most

• Schedule posts

• Publish content

• Customize searches

• Monitor conversations

• Import Twitter lists

• Engage with people from within the management tool

Read the terms of service carefully. Know the information they’ll collect about you, your contacts, and your activity. Look for customer reviews and coverage by reputable tech journalists.

Free or paid?

Many social media management tools offer free accounts. They make money when you upgrade to access more features. If you’re just starting out, we recommend testing a free account before paying for an upgrade.

Groups on Facebook and LinkedIn

People gather in niche collectives called Groups, spaces within social platforms, such as Facebook and LinkedIn, where people can discuss a shared interest, form connections, build relationships, organize, ask questions, and/or share knowledge. The following resources will provide more information on using Groups.

Groups on Facebook

Groups on LinkedIn

Lists on Twitter

If you need more information about how to create, join, and view lists on Twitter, begin here.

In our article, we mentioned how social media listening principles can be applied beyond social media for community outreach and preaching. Here are a few more ideas.

Church newsletters

When we write newsletters, we can often push info that is of interest to only a few. Members may want things to be taken care of, but they are not necessarily going to read about administrative details. A whole new approach is to send a newsletter that addresses people's needs, responding to what is learned through social listening and other means! 

Your newsletter doesn’t have to only distribute information. It can be an opportunity to ask questions and listen for responses. Brenda tries to ask a question in every newsletter. Replies are private and delivered to her inbox. These questions have opened up conversations, deepened connections, and served needs. Practice social listening techniques as you read the replies. Look for patterns, repetitions of inclusions and exclusions, “safe” topics and unsettling ones. What questions are frequently asked and when are they raised? Take time to analyze your observations. What actions can you take in light of them?

Church websites

As you practice social listening, collecting repeated questions and concerns, you’ll naturally want to answer them. You can answer on social media, from the pulpit, or provide in-depth writing on your church’s website. Consider adding a page for frequently asked questions. Each question could receive it’s own blog post, especially if they require thorough answers. You can see examples of how Brenda has turned social listening questions into blog posts here and here. When you’re done, you can then share your blog post to social media to reach more eyes.