Misinformation and Disinformation: Brands in the Echo Chamber - Whitepaper August 2018 - Storyful
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Whitepaper Misinformation and Disinformation: Brands in the Echo Chamber August 2018
Table of Contents
Introduction: The False Information Ecosystem 3
Chapter 1: Sharing, Not Caring 4
“Fake News” Websites 5
User-Generated Conspiracies 7
The Echo Chamber 7
The Clickbait Headline 9
The Influencer 9
Chapter 2: The Threat of Disinformation Ops 10
Fringe Networks 11
Bots and Sockpuppets 11
Synthetic Audiovisuals 12
Review Attacks 13
Chapter 3: How Brands Can React 14
References 17
Brands in the Echo Chamber Storyful 2
Introduction: The False Information Ecosystem
In 2013, the World Economic Forum acknowledged the risks of a digital society,
warning that “hyperconnectivity could enable ‘digital wildfires’ to wreak havoc
in the real world.” Today, the risk of misinformation is no longer just a theory.
Misinformation is infecting geopolitics, global governance, and even the
reputations of sizeable brands.
Social media conversations are How can a brand control its
democratic in nature—They can own narrative in a landscape so
be regional or global, controlled or disintermediated? —Brand controversy
uncontrolled. When influential voices can spring from any corner of a fractured
confidently share false facts or propaganda, online landscape and is sometimes
inaccurate information can quickly become manufactured maliciously. Misinformation
contagious—and the problem compounds and disinformation can spur consumer
exponentially. With no editorial authority backlash, creating ripples that affect
or review, misinformation spreads online everything from day-to-day operations to
at an alarming rate. Strong peer-to-peer long-term reputational health.
networks fuel individual confirmation bias,
while polarized echo chambers filter out This whitepaper explores the different threats
opposing views. The rise of algorithms that posed by misinformation and disinformation.
automatically curate posts amplifies voices It delineates the damaging ways in which false
even more rapidly. information is generated and spreads online—
and the ways in which companies can protect
themselves.
Brands in the Echo Chamber Storyful 3
Chapter 1:
Sharing, Not Caring
False information can spread online for various
reasons. Some share it knowingly, with malicious
intent. But in many cases, information spreads
through users who have no clear knowledge of its
falsehood. The primacy of social networks and
our increasing dependence on digital makes us
more vulnerable to not only disinformation—false
information that is deliberately spread to mislead—
but also misinformation—information that is
inaccurate or misleading, but spread unintentionally
or even by accident.
• “Fake News” Websites
• User-Generated Conspiracies
The Echo Chamber
The Clickbait Headline
The Influencer
Brands in the Echo Chamber Storyful 4
Chapter 1: Sharing, Not Caring
“Fake News” Websites
Hundreds of websites seize the opportunity to disseminate misleading or false content through
social platforms. Reasons include:
Ideological motives
Promoting negative sentiment around public figures, countries, state entities, or brands
through unsubstantiated conspiratorial claims. In 2015, a viral claim spread online linking the
closure of several Walmart stores to a grand conspiracy that Walmart was colluding with the
federal government to attack the American people. The retailer was forced to publicly deny the
claims.
Financial motivation
Gaining more traffic (and ad revenue) by promoting sensational content. In the middle of flu
season in January 2018, the misinformation website YourNewsWire published an article with
the headline “CDC Doctor: ‘Disastrous’ Flu Shot Is Causing Deadly Flu Outbreak.” The story was
promoted by Facebook’s algorithm and became one of the site’s top-engaged stories in January,
and ultimately ranked as the flu story with the highest overall engagement on social media.
Commercial interests
Spreading false information pretending to be news reports while promoting certain products
or services. With more than two million followers on Facebook, Natural News publishes
pseudoscientific anti-vaccination and anti-pharmaceutical articles while offering its own line of
natural healing supplements in its online shop.
Brands in the Echo Chamber Storyful 5
Chapter 1: Sharing, Not Caring
Flu-Related Articles Ranked
by Highest Engagements on
Social Media
CDC Doctor: ‘Disastrous’
Flu Shot Is Causing Deadly yournewswire.com 806,122
Flu Outbreak
This Is the flu symptom you
aren’t looking for but need to Popsugar 232,916
know about
Still Not Convinced You
Need a Flu Shot? First, It’s NYTimes 182,227
Not All About You
CDC director urges flu
vaccinations as pediatric deaths Reuters 109,296
mount
Terrifying flu season: What to look out
for as growing number of young people Fox8 106,155
lose lives after getting sick
7-year-old San
Bernardino boy dies of ABC7 71,239
flu-related condition
Widespread Flu Hits
Weather.com 69,010
46 States
Brands in the Echo Chamber Storyful 6
Chapter 1: Sharing, Not Caring
User-Generated Conspiracies
Damaging false information might also be
generated or shared unintentionally by social
media users. The nature of social media can
then give these stories traction well beyond
their original lifecycle. Examples include:
The Echo Chamber
In November of 2016, a father uploaded a
video of his son suffering seizures allegedly
caused by the Bexsero meningitis B vaccine
to “My child’s vaccine reaction,” an anti-
vaccination Facebook page. “From injection
site he was not the same baby. Within 3 weeks
he started having siezures [sic],” wrote Luke
Maguire in his post, claiming the boy suffered
up to 14 seizures per day.
The video went viral and was shared widely
across the anti-vaxxer online community.
Several U.K. tabloids also amplified the video,
distributing it with little scientific context.
The post drove meningitis B-related media
coverage in 2017, with users specifically
deflecting the blame on Bexsero. By the time
the video had 1.5 million views, it was re-
edited and shared by U.S. alternative health
promoter David “Avocado” Wolfe with his more
than 11 million followers. Wolfe’s post was
shared more than 400,000 times and received
more than 27 million views to date.
Brands in the Echo Chamber Storyful 7
Chapter 1: Sharing, Not Caring
The Flow of Anti-Vax
Dialogue Through the
Social Ecosystem
Brands in the Echo Chamber Storyful 8
Chapter 1: Sharing, Not Caring
The Clickbait Headline
For decades, newspapers have been accused The parents’ claim was emphasized in the
of distorting scientific studies and health- headline and throughout the article, but an
related information for the sake of catchy expert cited saying “it was unlikely his fits were
headlines. In the era of digital media, the vaccine-related” appeared further down, in the
problem has become even more prevalent. seventh paragraph of in the article. The article
Catchy but misleading titles are a popular way was published after a video of a seizure went
to attract clicks—even if they are lacking in viral on Facebook and gained engagement
important context. specifically among anti-vaxxer communities.
In December 2016, the Daily Mail published
an article titled “Furious couple claim their
son started suffering from 14 seizures a day
after having a meningitis jab,” mentioning the
Bexsero vaccine as a possible cause to the
seizures.
The Influencer
Online influencers—celebrities, politicians, Despite a qualifying skeptical comment, Takei’s
or other public figures—intentionally and post was shared more than 24,000 times.
unintentionally accelerate the spread of false Many of the shares happened months after
information by pushing it out of a closed echo the claim has already been debunked by the
chamber to their millions of followers—and scientific community. In fact, the debunking
into the public discussion. For example, actor only seemed to flare up new accusations
George Takei shared a link to an article titled against Monsanto, a pesticide company, for
“Zika Virus Not to Blame? Doctors Cite Man- allegedly buying the media’s silence.
Made Cause For Birth Defect Epidemic” with
his 10 million followers.
Brands in the Echo Chamber Storyful 9
Chapter 2: The Threat of
Disinformation Operations
Information operations have been a type of
warfare since ancient times, as adversaries
tried to manipulate their enemies by spreading
disinformation to cause deception or sow chaos.
Today, social media platforms are astonishingly
effective vehicles for disinformation campaigns.
A well-organized campaign can filter through to
public consciousness and might significantly impact
long-term reputation. Online campaigns pushed
by bots, falsified documents, sockpuppets, and
trolls have already taken a toll on governments and
corporations.
• Fringe Networks
• Bots and Sockpuppets
• Synthetic Audiovisuals
• Review Attacks
Brands in the Echo Chamber Storyful 10Chapter 2: The Threat of Disinformation Operations
Fringe Networks
In January 2018, a Facebook post accused
Starbucks employees of contaminating
drinks ordered by white people. The
accusation was first posted to 4chan and
resulted in an online maelstrom. Starbucks
vehemently denied the allegations, but
was ultimately forced to briefly close
one of its stores in Atlanta. While major
social networks such as Facebook,
Twitter or Instagram can be used as
conduits to make content viral, fringe
platforms and online discussion forums
function as hubs to organize propaganda
campaigns. By spreading fake photos, “Anyone drink Starbucks in Atlanta, I hope not.
Messaged this into the Starbucks facebook, if they
memes and hashtags on Reddit, Twitter
dont get back about it I say we post it everywhere,
and Facebook, 4chan users were able to and spam comment it on their Twitter, and Facebook
sow chaos for a brand in real life. posts.” (4chan.org, 7 January 2018)14
Bots and Sockpuppets
Up to 15% of active Twitter users are automated social media accounts, or “bots,” according to
estimates from the University of California and Indiana University. At 330 million monthly active
users, nearly 50 million Twitter accounts could be bots. Bot accounts are automatically operated
and exist to boost signals from real users, creating controversy or an outpouring of support out of
thin air.
Sockpuppet accounts are operated manually by anonymous users. Like bots, they push false and
misleading information in an attempt to “infect” regular users, presenting fake identities online,
while hiding the true identity of their operators. In China, researchers at Harvard’s Institute
for Quantitative Social Science identified an army of paid posters flooding social media with
distractions from major governmental crises—responsible for up to 450 million posts per year.
These users are known colloquially as the “50 Cent Army,” for how much they make per post.
Brands in the Echo Chamber Storyful 11Chapter 2: The Threat of Disinformation Operations
Synthetic Audiovisuals
In 2017, researchers at the University of Could synthetic audiovisuals be used to
Washington successfully created a fake yet attack a brand? Though the technology is
highly realistic video of former U.S. President still emerging, it has already been used to
Barack Obama—from audio files alone. Recent real-word effect (most notably in the world
advancements in artificial intelligence have of “deep fakes” or celebrity face-swap porn
enabled the creation of high-quality synthetic videos), alarming us to the technology’s ability
audio and video, which can be used to generate to fool viewers.
fake videos to smear brands, politicians, or
public figures.
Image via University of Washington researcher Supasorn Suwajanakorn on YouTube.
Brands in the Echo Chamber Storyful 12Chapter 2: The Threat of Disinformation Operations
Review Attacks
In September 2017, Amazon redacted Drugs.com, TripAdvisor, or RottenTomatoes.
hundreds of mostly one-star reviews of Hillary
Clinton’s book, “What Happened?” Not all review campaigns count on the
help of the crowd. Online vendors such
The reviews, submitted hours after the book as Reviewsthatstick.com, Shorttask.com
was released, were triggered by a call to action or Rapidworkers.com allow companies to
on pro-Trump social media channels on Reddit, purchase reviews, which could be used for a
Discord and 4chan. Months earlier, a similar targeted negative campaign against products
effort on the same channels yielded similar and services.
results after the release of Megyn Kelly’s
book, “Settle for More.” Similar disinformation
campaigns could easily be conducted on Yelp,
Brands in the Echo Chamber Storyful 13Chapter 3:
How Brands Can React
For brands, organizations, and even content creators,
it is crucial to identify the spread of false information
at an early stage. By the time mainstream news
outlets report on information operations or the story
trends across social media, significant damage has
likely already been done. Brands across industries
can take the following steps to minimize the impact
of negative campaigns:
• Monitor brand mentions on fringe platforms
• Investigate the source
• Prepare a crisis communications plan
Brands in the Echo Chamber Storyful 14Chapter 3: How Brands Can React
Monitoring Twitter and
Facebookis not enough
Monitor brand mentions on social platforms—
including the fringe. Monitoring 4chan, Gab,
and other platforms is crucial to detecting
threats at an early stage and reacting
accordingly, before the threats break into
mainstream conversation.
Think like a reporter
Investigate the sources of false information.
Who exactly is behind each campaign? What
influencers are perpetuating these ideas?
Accurate threat identification will enable a
brand to target its crisis communications and
defend its reputation more effectively.
Prevention is better than cure
Make sure a crisis communications plan is
in place and can be activated swiftly when
harmful information is discovered. Ignoring
false information at an early stage won’t make it
disappear.
Brands in the Echo Chamber Storyful 15References
1. Howell, Lee, et al. Global Risks 2013. World Economic Forum, 2013. http://reports.weforum.org/global-
risks-2013/risk-case-1/digital-wildfires-in-a-hyperconnected-world/
2. Medrano, Kastalia. “Facebook Spreads Viral Fake News Story About Vaccines.” Newsweek, 25 January
2018. http://www.newsweek.com/facebook-spreads-viral-fake-news-story-about-vaccines-791331
3. Pomeroy, Ross. “The Worst Websites for Science in 2016.” Real Clear Science, 26 November 2016.
Accessed 20 March 2018.
4. Peterson, Hayley. “The 5 stores that Walmart mysteriously closed are finally reopening.” Business
Insider, 2 Septemberl 2015. http://www.businessinsider.com/wal-mart-reopens-5-stores-it-suddenly-
closed-2015-9
5. Maguire, Luke. Vaccine reaction seizures video. Facebook, 14 November 2016. Accessed 13 March
2018. https://www.facebook.com/luke.maguire.560/videos/662697120568272/
6. 10-month-old baby convulses from seizures ‘due to meningitis jab.’” Daily Mail. http://www.dailymail.
co.uk/video/femail/video-1375019/10-month-old-baby-convulses-seizures-mengitis-jab.html
7. Wolfe, David. “Baby Boy Suffers From Seizures After Getting Vaccines.” Facebook, 13 March 2017.
https://www.facebook.com/DavidAvocadoWolfe/videos/10154311097431512/
8. Cha, Ariana Eunjung and Lena H. Sun. “U.S., Brazilian officials say no scientific basis for theory that
chemicals—rather than Zika virus—is to blame for birth defects.” Washington Post, 17 February 2016.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2016/02/17/could-chemicals-rather-
than-the-zika-virus-be-to-blame-for-birth-defects-in-brazil/?utm_term=.70bb857e235e
9. Varol, Onur, et al. Online Human-Bot Interactions: Detection, Estimation, and Characterization. Center
for Complex Networks and Systems Research, Indiana University and Information Sciences Institute,
University of Southern California, March 2017. https://arxiv.org/pdf/1703.03107.pdf
10. @TwitterIR. Q4 and Fiscal Year 2017 Letter to Shareholders. Twitter, 8 February 2018. http://files.
shareholder.com/downloads/AMDA-2F526X/6109081207x0x970892/F9B4F616-659A-454B-89C6-
28480DA53CCA/Q4_2017_Shareholder_Letter.pdf
11. Gibson, Lydialyle. “China’s Social-Media Smoke Screen.” Harvard Magazine, May-June 2017. https://
harvardmagazine.com/2017/05/chinas-social-media-smoke-screen
12. Langston, Jennifer. “Lip-syncing Obama: New tools turn audio clips into realistic video.” UW News, 11
July 2017. http://www.washington.edu/news/2017/07/11/lip-syncing-obama-new-tools-turn-audio-
clips-into-realistic-video/
13. Evon, Dan. “Were Blood, Dog Feces and Other Horrors Hidden Inside Starbucks Products?” Snopes, 10
January 2018.
14. Anonymous. “Anyone drink Starbucks in Atlanta, I hope not.” 4chan (/pol/), 07 January 2018. Accessed
13 Match 2018. http://archive.4plebs.org/pol/thread/155891152/
15. Ha, Thu-Huong. “Amazon just deleted over 900 reviews of Hillary Clinton’s new book.” Quartz, 13
September 2017. https://qz.com/1076357/hillary-clintons-what-happened-amazon-just-deleted-
over-900-reviews-of-hillary-clintons-new-book/
16. Ryn, Erin Gloria. “Amazon Battles Trolls Over Megyn Kelly Book.” Daily Beast, 16 November 2016.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/amazon-battles-trolls-over-megyn-kelly-boo
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