Social media rules. That's bad in a pandemic - CNN

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Social media rules. That's bad in a pandemic – CNN

Published

4 years ago

May 16, 2020

Harry Miller

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One study found that more than one in four of the most popular YouTube videos about the novel coronavirus contained misinformation. Another found that vaccine skeptics were winning the battle for Facebook engagement.

More than 70% of adults turn to the internet to learn about health and healthcare, a team of researchers in Canada said. They analyzed popular YouTube videos on a single day earlier this year, filtering for those that mentioned coronavirus.

Excluding videos that weren’t in English, that ran for more than an hour, or didn’t have audio or visual content, they wound up with 69 videos twith a total of 257,804,146 views. They rated each based on factual content covering symptoms, prevention, treatments epidemiology and viral spread.

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The videos came from a variety of sources such as network news — which made up the largest portion of videos — entertainment videos, internet based news operations, professional YouTube stars, newspapers, educational institutions and government agencies.

Nearly 50 of the videos, or 72%, got the facts right. The one in four that didn’t had either misleading or inaccurate information, Heidi Oi-Yee Li of the University of Ottawa and colleagues in Canada wrote in the online journal BMJ Global Health.

More than 62 million people looked at the most misleading YouTube videos,

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Past studies looking at YouTube usage found the platform has been key in spreading vital information about how to keep people safe in a pandemic or public health emergency.

If this many videos are inaccurate, there’s a “significant potential for harm,” Li and colleagues wrote.

“YouTube is a powerful, untapped educational tool that should be better mobilized by health professionals,” they wrote. Too often, government information is static and not interesting. Public health agencies could benefit if they were to team up with people who understand how to best communicate on YouTube, the researchers said.

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In another study, researchers looked at scientific information on Facebook and found a similar static message from official public health leaders made these messages less impactful.

People who have not made up their minds about vaccines may be more influenced by what they see on social media this study published Wednesday in the journal Nature found, and that could be a real problem during the coronavirus pandemic,.

This research collaboration between scholars at George Washington University, University of Miami, Michigan State University and Los Alamos National Laboratory looked at comments from more than 100 million Facebook users in a variety of online communities that discussed vaccines during the 2019 measles outbreak. The conversations were spirited and the contributors spanned several countries and communicated in several languages.

Among Facebook users, opinions seemed to fall into three camps: people who were pro-vaccine, those who were anti-vaccine and the undecided. Even undecided social media users were still highly engaged with the topic, researchers said.

The researchers looked to see how individuals from one group interacted with the others, and created a map to track these conversations.

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What they found was that while there were fewer people who did not believe in vaccines, there were nearly three times the number of anti-vaccination groups on Facebook. That larger number of groups, in part, allowed those communities to become more entangled with the undecided communities, which swayed some opinions. The anti-vaccine communicators tended to have a variety of messages and could join more conversations because of that variety.

“Even though they are numerically small, they appear big online because they have so many flavors of arguments and narratives,” said study co-author Neil Johnson. Some messages focused on ideas that vaccines caused health problems. Other messages emphasized free choice. Others spun conspiracy theories.

Pro-vaccine posters, like members of state public health departments, tended to concentrate their communication efforts on one message: vaccines protect public health. Having just one message cost them the opportunity to communicate with some of the medium-sized groups that weren’t as visible as others.

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Johnson, a professor of physics at the George Washington University who heads the initiative in Complexity and Data Science, said that the team was about to wrap up the study when the Covid-19 pandemic hit. They continue to monitor these groups and found the distrust of establishment and science had transferred to the pandemic.

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“It’s just morphed. It’s almost like it become the perfect storm for Covid, this kind of online behavior that distrust science, and because they’re already organized and embedded in groups like the local pet lovers association,” Johnson said. “Previously they may have had a hard job talking with the local pet lovers association about vaccines, but now everybody’s talking about Covid and possible vaccines, so it’s kind of their moment.”

Johnson said we tend to trust people in our own communities, so when our Uncle Arthur tells us something about our dog that is absolutely correct, that the vet hasn’t mentioned yet, you start to trust your Uncle Arthur most.

“We trust people in our communities because of this kind of interaction,” Johnson said. “Then when they turn around and tell me something about how Bill Gates is behind a particular vaccine, and you better watch out because he’s going to inject you with something, you might actually give it some kind of credence.”

The people who are spreading the anti-vaccine message online are not “crazies” or “flat Earth” people, instead they are people that are sort of “grabbing somewhere” and putting two and two together and “just getting the wrong answer,” Johnson said. But then “everyone around them thinks they’ve got the right answer.”

Johnson said he was “very skeptical” when he started the study.

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He thought the conversations online would look like a battle between government establishment science, with health recommendation in the middle, and then small disorganized communities trying to pick away at it. But that’s not it at all.

“It’s more like the anti-vaxxers are embedded with the local pet club and with the parent teachers and you know, the establishment science health public health experts, it’s almost like they were sitting in an entirely different battlefield,” Johnson said. “And to them it looks like they’ve won, but they haven’t, because it’s just them on that battlefield.”

Johnson said he is already seeing people in these groups saying that they won’t get a Covid-19 vaccine and they will rely on others to be vaccinated so they will be safe. He hopes this study will help public health officials think through new communication strategies to reach more with their message.

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B.C. online harms bill on hold after deal with social media firms

Published

3 hours ago

April 24, 2024

Harry Miller

The British Columbia government is putting its proposed online harms legislation on hold after reaching an agreement with some of the largest social media platforms to increase safety online.

Premier David Eby says in a joint statement with representatives of the firms Meta, TikTok, X and Snapchat that they will form an online safety action table, where they’ll discuss “tangible steps” toward protecting people from online harms.

Eby added the proposed legislation remains, and the province will reactivate it into law if necessary.

“The agreement that we’ve struck with these companies is that we’re going to move quickly and effectively, and that we need meaningful results before the end of the term of this government, so that if it’s necessary for us to bring the bill back then we will,” Eby said Tuesday.

The province says the social media companies have agreed to work collaboratively with the province on preventing harm, while Meta will also commit to working with B.C.’s emergency management officials to help amplify official information during natural disasters and other events.

The announcement to put the Bill 12, also known as the Public Health Accountability and Cost Recovery Act, on hold is a sharp turn for the government, after Eby announced in March that social media companies were among the “wrongdoers” that would pay for health-related costs linked to their platforms.

At the time, Eby compared social media harms to those caused by tobacco and opioids, saying the legislation was similar to previous laws that allowed the province to sue companies selling those products.

A white man and woman weep at a podium, while a white man behind them holds a picture of a young boy. — Premier David Eby is pictured with Ryan Cleland and Nicola Smith, parents of Carson Cleland, during a news conference announcing Bill 12. (Ben Nelms/CBC)

Eby said one of the key drivers for legislation targeting online harm was the death of Carson Cleland, the 12-year-old Prince George, B.C., boy who died by suicide last October after falling victim to online sextortion.

“In the real world we would never allow a company to set up a space for kids where grown adults could be invited in to contact them, encourage them to share photographs and then threaten to distribute those photographs to their family and friends,” Eby said when announcing the legislation.

The premier said previously that companies would be shut down and their owners would face jail terms if their products were connected to harms to young people.

In announcing the pause, the province says that bringing social media companies to the table for discussion achieves the same purpose of protecting youth from online harm.

“Our commitment to every parent is that we will do everything we can to keep their families safe online and in our communities,” said Eby.

Ryan Cleland, Carson’s father, said in a statement on Tuesday that he “has faith” in Eby and the decision to suspend the legislation.

“I don’t think he is looking at it from a political standpoint as much as he is looking at it as a dad,” he said of Eby. “I think getting the social media giants together to come up with a solution is a step in the right direction.”

Business groups were opposed

On Monday, the opposition B.C. United called for a pause to Bill 12, citing potential “serious legal and economic consequences for local businesses.”

Opposition Leader Kevin Falcon said in a statement that his party pushed Eby’s government to change course, noting the legislation’s vague language on who the province can sue “would have had severe unintended consequences” for local businesses and the economy.

“The government’s latest retreat is not only a win for the business community but for every British Columbian who values fairness and clarity in the law,” Falcon said.

A white man wearing a blue tie speaks in a legislature building. — B.C. United Leader Kevin Falcon says that Bill 12 could have had unintended consequences. (Chad Hipolito/The Canadian Press)

The Greater Vancouver Board of Trade said they are pleased to see the legislation put on hold, given the “potential ramifications” of the proposal’s “expansive interpretation.”

“We hope that the government chooses not to pursue Bill 12 in the future,” said board president and CEO Bridgitte Anderson in a statement. “Instead, we would welcome the opportunity to work with the government to develop measures that are well-targeted and effective, ensuring they protect British Columbians without causing unintended consequences.”

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Trump poised to clinch US$1.3-billion social media company stock award

Published

8 hours ago

April 24, 2024

Harry Miller

Donald Trump is set to secure on Tuesday a stock bonus worth US$1.3-billion from the company that operates his social media app Truth Social (DJT-Q), equivalent to about half the majority stake he already owns in it, thanks to the wild rally in its shares.

The award will take the former U.S. president’s overall stake in the company, Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), to US$4.1-billion.

While Mr. Trump has agreed not to sell any of his TMTG shares before September, the windfall represents a significant boost to his wealth, which Forbes pegs at US$4.7-billion.

Unlike much of his real estate empire, shares are easy to divest in the stock market and could come in handy as Mr. Trump’s legal fees and fines pile up, including a US$454.2-million judgment in his New York civil fraud case he is appealing.

The bonus also reflects the exuberant trading in TMTG’s shares, which have been on a roller coaster ride since the company listed on Nasdaq last month through a merger with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) and was snapped up by Trump supporters and speculators.

Mr. Trump will be entitled to the stock bonus under the terms of the SPAC deal once TMTG’s shares stay above US$17.50 for 20 trading days after the company’s March 26 listing. They ended trading on Monday at US$35.50, and they would have to lose more than half their value on Tuesday for Mr. Trump to miss out.

TMTG’s current valuation of approximately US$5-billion is equivalent to about 1,220 times the loss-making company’s revenue in 2023 of US$4.1-million.

No other U.S. company of similar market capitalization has such a high valuation multiple, LSEG data shows. This is despite TMTG warning investors in regulatory filings that its operational losses raise “substantial doubt” about its ability to remain in business.

A TMTG spokesperson declined to comment on the stock award to Mr. Trump. “With more than $200 million in the bank and zero debt, Trump Media is fulfilling all its obligations related to the merger and rapidly moving forward with its business plan,” the spokesperson said.

While Mr. Trump’s windfall is rich for a small, loss-making company like TMTG, the earnout structure that allows it is common. According to a report from law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, stock earnouts for management were seen in more than half the SPAC mergers completed in 2022.

However, few executives clinch these earnout bonuses because many SPAC deals end up performing poorly in the stock market, said Freshfields securities lawyer Michael Levitt. TMTG’s case is rare because its shares are trading decoupled from its business prospects.

“Many earnouts in SPACs are never satisfied because many SPAC prices fall significantly after the merger is completed,” Mr. Levitt said.

To be sure, TMTG made it easier for Mr. Trump to meet the earnout threshold. When TMTG agreed to merge with the SPAC in October, 2021, the deal envisioned that TMTG shares had to trade above US$30 for Mr. Trump to get the full earnout bonus. The two sides amended the deal in August, 2023 to lower that threshold to US$17.50, regulatory filings show.

Had that not happened, Mr. Trump would not have yet earned the full bonus because TMTG’s shares traded below US$30 last week. The terms of the deal, however, give Mr. Trump three years from the listing to win the full earnout, so he could have still earned it if the shares traded above the threshold for 20 days in any 30-day period during this time.

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B.C. puts online harms bill on hold after agreement with social media companies

Published

9 hours ago

April 24, 2024

Harry Miller

The B.C. government is putting its proposed online harms legislation on hold after reaching an agreement with some of the largest social media platforms to make people safer online.

Premier David Eby says in a joint statement with representatives of the firms Meta, TikTok, X and Snap that they will form an online safety action table, where they’ll discuss “tangible steps” towards protecting people from online harms.

Eby says the social media companies have “agreed to work collaboratively” with the province on preventing harm, while Meta will also commit to working with B.C’s emergency management officials to help amplify official information during natural disasters and other events.

“We have had assurance from Facebook on a couple of things. First, that they will work with us to deliver emergency information to British Columbia in this wildfire season that (people) can rely on, they can find easily, and that will link into official government channels to distribute information quickly and effectively,” Eby said at a Tuesday press conference.

“This is a major step and I’m very appreciative that we are in this place now.”

Click to play video: 'B.C. takes steps to protect people from online harms'

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B.C. takes steps to protect people from online harms

The announcement to put the bill on hold is a sharp turn for the government, after Eby announced in March that social media companies were among the “wrongdoers” that would pay for health-related costs linked to their platforms.

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Click to play video: 'Carol Todd on taking action against online harms'

5:46
Carol Todd on taking action against online harms

Last August, Eby criticized Meta over its continued blackout of Canadian news outlets as wildfires forced thousands from their homes. Eby said it was “unacceptable” for the tech giant to cut off access to news on its platforms at a time when people needed timely, potentially life-saving information.

“I think it’s fair to say that I was very skeptical, following the initial contact (with Meta),” Eby said Tuesday.

Eby said one of the key drivers for legislation targetting online harm was the death of Carson Cleland, the 12-year-old Prince George, B.C., boy who died by suicide last October after falling victim to online sextortion.

The premier says in announcing the pause that bringing social media companies to the table for discussion achieves the same purpose of protecting youth from online harm.

“Our commitment to every parent is that we will do everything we can to keep their families safe online and in our communities,” the premier said in his statement.

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