00:00
So look, it's hard figuring out what's real these days online
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like I try to dig up the facts,
00:08
you know, but it takes so long and it's like with
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AI it's just so hard but luckily we have Zachary Ryan Mercado
00:17
and Randy Abreo to help debunk some WhatsApp news stories.
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So let's give it up for them.
00:23
Welcome back. Thank you,
00:25
thanks for having us.
00:29
So it's hard to find the truth on social media,
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especially like in espanol.
00:33
Why should people be paying more attention to it?
00:36
Yeah, so the information and content that we see online and
00:39
on social media shapes our opinions and our actions,
00:42
whether we are conscious to that or not.
00:44
Information fraud, which is our term an agency that we use
00:47
it just means information that's purposefully misleading or false.
00:52
That information fraud in Spanish has been an issue for a lot
00:55
of years, and it's something that social media platforms aren't moderating
00:58
the same way that they are that same content in English.
01:01
So this means that a lot of false information in Spanish can
01:04
go. Viral or it gets amplified when we share it to
01:07
our familia or amigos,
01:09
and before you know it it's so popular that it's
01:11
hard to combat the fake information with what's the truth.
01:14
So I wonder why that is why is the English news being
01:18
monitored, but the Spanish is not like why do you guys
01:22
think that is? That's a million dollar question.
01:25
We have worked for years with the social media platforms themselves to
01:29
try to find out the answer to that question,
01:31
and we've asked them and we really haven't gotten the answers.
01:36
you know, the people we contract with,
01:37
like maybe they're not as fluent or it's not flagged as often
01:41
but in reality it seems like they're.
01:43
Just not putting enough resources behind it.
01:45
Most definitely and there's a recent story that I saw where
01:51
there was a video you know of the Coca-Cola employees like in
01:56
shirts I guess it was like a raid video of them being
01:59
kind of. Was it deported or and it was like
02:04
AI so it's like is the Coca-Cola deportation story true?
02:12
It's Johnny right now.
02:13
Even me abuela was like,
02:14
mijo, the Coca-Cola tapasando.
02:19
As far as we can tell and from looking at other fact
02:21
checkers, that story isn't true.
02:23
You can actually see that by,
02:25
by looking at the video itself,
02:27
some of the t-shirts,
02:28
Coca-Cola was misspelled. Sometimes the folks had 11 fingers instead
02:33
of 10. Those are some things you can.
02:38
it's interesting that just February 21st,
02:41
the CEO of Coca-Cola said that they are committed to diversity.
02:47
we saw from that example that it had real-world effect,
02:50
it had real-world impacts and Coca-Cola is still feeling it.
02:53
So what are some telltale signs that a viral post or video
02:58
might be fake or AI generated?
03:00
What are some other things we can look at?
03:02
If something feels like way too good or way too wild to
03:07
that's usually a sign.
03:08
So these videos, people are usually trying to pass them off
03:11
as news, so they want them to be viral or sensational
03:14
So if it feels just too out there,
03:17
it's probably not true,
03:18
and this is where you should trust your instincts.
03:20
I see a lot of people share polls out of fear too
03:25
especially about the ICE rates.
03:27
What's the best way to fact check before hitting share?
03:31
That's Amazing, amazing question.
03:34
So my three-step approach is,
03:36
first, evaluate the content.
03:38
Second, analyze the credibility of the source,
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consult the professional fact checker.
03:47
The title or the headlines themselves,
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clickbait. It's a thing for a reason.
03:51
Getting us emotionally riled up,
03:54
emotionally invested in something once we wake up and we hop on
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Social media and was like,
03:59
I'm in, I'm clicking,
04:01
like rage. So sensational titles and headlines,
04:05
some people think that if a post has a blue checkmark,
04:12
Like why is that not always the case anymore?
04:16
Nowadays, all you need to do to get a blue checkmark
04:19
is to pay a monthly subscription into Elon or Zuckerberg's pockets.
04:22
Right. Anyone with $8 to spare a month can look official
04:26
or impersonate well-known brands on social media to scam people.
04:30
And so just because you see that blue check mark doesn't mean
04:32
that they're trustworthy. It just means that they're paying for the
04:36
blue check mark to look more official.
04:39
definitely. All right,
04:40
well thank you guys both.
04:42
I really appreciate you both coming on the show and giving a
04:45
little more insight about how to kind of.
04:48
Debunk all these you know fact or fictions on social media online
04:55
are there any other resources to check out?
04:57
Absolutely folks who are looking for more information on information fraud or
05:02
resources should follow the National Hispanic Media Coalition on our social media
05:05
channels. Amazing thank you guys so much and looking forward to
05:09
talking to you again.
05:10
Absolutely, thanks so much.
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