I recently had a conversation with my sister related to a social media post about the employment status of a well-known basketball player.  She read something that was so shocking, it made her angry and she called me to see if I was aware of the post. (That, by the way, she was poised to share herself.) As we talked about it, she decided to do some additional research on the topic and found that the post was a total fabrication yet had already been shared hundreds of times. As people we sometimes can be quick to share scandalous posts or ones that make us angry. What if the post that made you angry this morning was designed to do exactly that?

Social media has become one of the fastest ways to connect with family, friends, organizations, and current events. But the same platforms that help people communicate can also be used to manipulate them. Foreign operatives and coordinated influence campaigns have used fake accounts, misleading stories, altered images, AI, fabricated claims, and emotionally charged posts to deepen distrust and hostility among targeted groups. The objective however is not always to persuade people to support one side or another. Sometimes the goal is simply to make people suspicious of one another.

Campaigns by foreign influencers may appear to be from ordinary citizens, community activists, political organizations, news outlets, or members of particular racial, religious, or ideological groups. They may take a real event and distort it, circulate an old photograph as though it happened yesterday, invent quotes, or repeatedly amplify divisive content until it appears more popular or credible than it really is.

These tactics are especially effective when the subject already produces strong emotions such as politics, race, religion, immigration, crime, war, gender, or social injustice. That emotional reaction matters because research has shown that misinformation connected with outrage is more likely to be shared, sometimes without people taking the time to determine whether it is accurate. That means the anger, fear, or disgust a person feels after seeing a provocative post can become part of the mechanism that spreads it.

In other words, before someone manipulates your opinion, they may first try to manipulate your emotions.

When a social media post immediately makes you angry, frightened, disgusted, or outraged, don’t hand over your emotional “remote control.”  Resist the urge to respond, take a breath and PAUSE:

• Pause before reacting. Strong emotion is a reason to slow down, not speed up.

• Ask who posted it. Is the source identifiable? Is it a legitimate news organization, government agency, researcher, or recognized organization?

• Understand the claim. Read beyond the headline. Determine exactly what is being alleged and whether evidence is actually provided.

• Search for confirmation. Look for the same information from several credible, independent sources. Check dates, photographs, quotations, and context.

• Evaluate before engaging. Ask yourself whether sharing, commenting, or arguing will inform others or simply help spread questionable and/or harmful content.

Consider: The ideal mindset when reading social media is neither gullibility nor cynicism. You do not have to assume that everything online is false. Instead, remain open but uncommitted.

Think: This could be true, but I have not verified it yet. 

That small change in mindset creates distance between what you see and how you respond.

It is also important to remember that disagreement does not make another person your enemy. One of the most damaging effects of coordinated disinformation is its ability to convince people that everyone on the “other side” is dangerous, dishonest, immoral, or undeserving of respect.

Foreign influence campaigns are most successful when online manipulation becomes real-world mistrust.

Be Aware of the 5 Warning Signs of a Manipulative Post

Be cautious when a post:

1. Demands an immediate emotional reaction such as anger, fear, or outrage.

2. Makes an explosive claim without credible sources.

3. Uses phrases such as “the media won’t tell you this” or “share before they delete it.”

4. Attacks an entire group of people rather than addressing specific facts or actions.

5. Encourages you to share immediately before you have time to verify the information.

Remember, social media can still connect us, inform us, and strengthen communities. But doing so requires each of us to become more deliberate consumers of information. Before you react, remember to PAUSE.

A few seconds of skepticism may prevent someone else from deciding what you think, how you feel, and who you distrust.

Karen Clay, Clay Technology and Multimedia

Courtesy, Karen Clay