Facebook posts – Why am I being urged to share this?
David Turner looks at a few of the different ways that social media users are tricked or manipulated into sharing information on social media, and asks the reader to pause and ask “Why am I being urged to share this?”
There are many different types of motivations we’re given for sharing things on Facebook, ranging from the chance to win a prize, a “first come first served” promotion or even the chance to help someone achieve something.
In many instances that latter option can be benign. Perhaps a business wants to increase its exposure on Facebook so the owner has asked friends and family to spread the word. In other circumstances the reason is more sentimental, for example a genuinely poorly person wants to show their defiance in the face of illness and would others to help spread the news of their personal battle in the hope of inspiring others going through that same experience.
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There are of course instances where people choose to cynically manipulate that last example and that misappropriation of popular goodwill is unpleasant but then there are examples where people are urged to share things for reasons that would – if done in any other context – be considered unduly provocative or even borderline racist.
If you have ever seen a post claiming that Facebook has tried to ban a particular photo, and that you, the reader, should express your democratic right and share the photo and, by association, urge others to share it too, you’re likely to be falling into a trap.
These posts can take a number of forms but generally use a thin veil of patriotic fervour to convey a nationalist or xenophobic message (banning the Australian flag?). Does anyone really think that Facebook would try to ban a photo showing a war veteran in their full dress uniform, “because it might cause offence”? Do the people writing the original post offer any proof that such action has been taken?
There are other examples that lead to similarly right wing reactions. Nativity photos withdrawn because of offence to non-Christians? Photos of two men kissing? These posts provoke knee-jerk reactions when they should in fact cause people to pause and think about their purpose.
Similarly, this temptation to stir up ill-informed political debate leads to a multitude of “statistics” being circulated in crudely Photoshopped infographics in the run up to elections. Claims of the financial competence of one party or another are shared without any substance to back them up. They are seen and they form part of the mudslinging. Are they put together by well-meaning individuals or are they pumped out by political organisations as a way to reach an electorate that only gets their information from social media?
This manipulation of people’s political and social emotions is arguably a more sinister example of the sharing ploys used by those offering fake prizes as part of a like farming scam. It shows the importance of questioning the motivations behind something before sharing them.
What was the last thing you were asked to share on Facebook? Let us know below.
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