As U.S. Congress moves to potentially ban TikTok in the U.S., Media.com, a new profile-based network, unveils a study showing that 70 percent of social media users are moderately to extremely concerned that misinformation will impact the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election. Respondents were also inclined to hold social media companies accountable for misinformation and hate speech, with a slim majority (51%) favoring increased regulation and 62% calling for legal action for social platforms that allow misinformation to spread.
Media.com polled more than 1,000 people in the U.S. and found that over half (51%) say social media companies should face more regulation, with 62% even calling for legal accountability for misinformation.
55% of respondents called out Facebook for doing the poorest job of curbing misinformation, followed by TikTok and X (Formerly Twitter) at 44% each.
Most respondents (63%) said they feel confident in their ability to spot misinformation on social media. Yet, when asked, some 60% said they had shared information they later found to be false. When asked how misinformation impacts our lives, 68% of respondents said it causes confusion, 64% believe it undermines trust, and 60% feel it influences public opinion.
“Misinformation and fake profiles are eating away at trust and confidence which is critical to a functional society” said James Mawhinney, the CEO and Founder of the Media.com network. “These survey results show there is a very real concern about the impact of misinformation. It is particularly concerning considering the amount of time we spend consuming content from unverified sources.”
When asked what changes social networks should make to address the challenge of misinformation, 57% said fact-checking all content, 55% supported identity verification for all profiles to eliminate bots, and 42% favored an automatic ban for those who spread false information.
“Social networks in their current forms are breeding grounds for misinformation. It is inevitable that they will ultimately be forced to introduce measures to help curb the spread of fake profiles and misinformation,” said Mawhinney. “When nearly two-thirds (61%) of Americans say that fake profiles and misinformation could impact the outcome of the presidential election, it highlights a very real societal issue which must be addressed to protect the public.”
