A cute post where a little boy with angel eyes asks for a happy 5th birthday, a grandmother shows off her beautiful embroidery while waiting for her work to be approved, a newly married couple waiting for happiness and lots of likes. How many such seemingly innocent posts we see on social networks every minute. It is difficult to remain indifferent to such appeals and not to like them. But what is really hidden behind such popular publications?
Spreading fake news
Thanks to the rapid development of artificial intelligence, the trend of spreading fake news is gaining momentum in social networks. Social networks have become the main battlefield for our thoughts, where fake factories directed by Internet algorithms attack our brains, producing thousands of false posts. What are the risks of the new era of disinformation and how to protect against such a threat? Let’s try to find answers to these questions in our article.
In today’s world, information spreads at the speed of light. And social networks, like the “over-the-air radio”, spread news from one ear to the other. And often you don’t even know where the truth is and where it’s fiction, and who was the initiator of this or that news. People are not used to carefully studying information coming from different sources. And because of such carelessness and credulity, we often, unwittingly, become assistants in spreading the fake virus. And there are more and more of him in social networks every day.
Artificial intelligence has reached such heights that it is capable of generating texts, images, and now even videos with extreme realism. In addition, the Facebook algorithm works in such a way that with any interaction, whether it is a like, a comment, a share, or even just a view, you have already fallen into the web of fakes. In addition, posts created with the help of neural networks appeal to the emotional state of the audience, evoking sympathy, fear, and aggression. And this is precisely what supporters of the informational and psychological operation (IPSO) are trying to achieve.
How the process of manipulation of users’ consciousness takes place
First, content is created that either confirms pre-existing beliefs or gives the impression that the opinion or fact being pushed by the post has significant support in society. In turn, users, being under emotional influence, begin to spread such false opinions or facts, even without questioning them. And then the algorithms of social networks do their job of actively promoting content that has caused as many reactions as possible.
In Facebook, there are many groups that play on the patriotic feelings of users, displaying alleged images of Ukrainian soldiers with calls to wish them health or admire the beauty of military women. But, you only have to look closely, and everything becomes obvious. Often these are AI-generated images, where the uniform, even not of the Ukrainian military, lacks the necessary patches, the color and size are incorrect, the inscriptions are in Russian. But there are few who will take a close look at these obvious differences. People, like rabbits, go after a boa constrictor and hurry to make a choice.
And now such groups already have an audience of thousands. And then the “information sandwich” tactic is already being used, when the IPSO materials are published: “betrayals”, disinformation of all kinds and propaganda. There are cases when the group changes its name altogether and immediately starts publishing propaganda content for its audience.
The main goal of such tactics is to determine the logical and emotional evaluation of the material. And having analyzed the audience, it is already easy to exercise informational and psychological influence.
Team “On the other side of the news” conducted a series of investigations and found out that no matter how such groups disguised themselves under cute flowers and primitive jokes, fake content was still accumulating, and the “legs were taken” from Russia.
“It often happens that by publishing quite decent content, one or another supposedly Ukrainian patriotic group on Facebook increased its audience, and later was renamed to something like “I am for negotiations with Russia!”, “Russians and Ukrainians are one nation” and others. And then she started publishing disinformation, swaying people, etc. This is very dangerous, especially in times of war”, warns OBOZ.UA editor-in-chief Lesya Hasych.
Fraudsters who speculate on someone else’s misfortune and discredit the work of real volunteers have also become active in social networks.
Group “NotaEnota” told, as a fake about an alleged fundraiser for an operation for a military man was spread on Facebook. One such post received a thousand reposts. However, even the naked eye can see that the document does not contain details of the institution, the name of the institution, in general, is written with errors. And such pseudo-fees for the treatment of military groups appear in social networks.
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, posts about Ukrainian military personnel in terrible conditions, abandoned to their own devices, have circulated on social networks. Yes, a photo of a soldier freezing in the snow with the caption “everyone who finds it difficult to live without light, I suggest you tell our guys about your suffering” has neither an author nor indicates the place where it was made. At the same time, such a photo is spread all over the Internet, and the servicemen themselves were mistaken for both Syrian and Indian. And in fact, the photo shows special forces soldiers of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Russian Federation. And this photo appeared long before the start of hostilities in eastern Ukraine.
Other photo with a soldier lying crouched in the mud with the note “here you see the conditions our military is in today, thanks to which we can sit on Facebook and drink coffee” was distributed by a user under the nickname Solomiya Ukrainets. As the investigation showed, there is no such person, but a community that spreads misinformation, anti-Semitism and pessimism. Of course, our servicemen work in excessively difficult conditions, but they are not left to their own devices, but are well equipped and trained.
In June 2024, the Center for Combating Disinformation refuted a video allegedly showing Ukrainian servicemen who were unprepared to defend the city of Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast.
“Krylya studio, which is connected to the Russian Ministry of Defense, is involved in the production of fake videos with allegedly Ukrainian military personnel on the front lines, in the trenches. Contractors related to Novorossiya t are also working on such videos, and infrastructure acceleration is provided by agencies working with the Russian Federation.”, commented the head of the Central Security Service, officer of the Defense Forces Andriy Kovalenko.
Unfortunately, this is not an isolated case. The center has repeatedly recorded the spread of fake video materials, allegedly filmed on the front line with the participation of supposedly Ukrainian military personnel, which voiced theses favorable to Russian propaganda.
Fraudsters also play on the feelings of believers. For example, there are photos of soldiers on social networks that seem to be kneeling and praying. But, looking closely, we see a shoulder patch with mixed colors attached too loosely. The color of the uniform and the strange position of the machine in the hands cause many questions.
The next photo shows a soldier in a trench with the inscription on the entire frame “A son is someone who is impossible not to love! May God bless all sons! Confirm it. Amen.” And what is terrible, all people, one by one, like bots, start writing the word “Amen” in the comments.
Of course, not everyone is illegible in the perception of information. There are users who are outraged by the cynicism of fraudsters and propagandists. But, unfortunately, there are few of them on the Internet.
Among users of social networks, there has always been a common misconception of the relay “send this message to a hundred more people and you will be happy.” The skills of critical thinking and simply thoughtful perception of information recede into the background, or completely disappear somewhere. We like, share, comment, automatically, without realizing that we are becoming aids to an evil cause.
The distribution of shakes has serious consequences for society. They undermine trust in traditional mass media, increase social tensions, and also have a negative impact on political processes, especially now, when Ukraine is at war.
How to protect yourself from the influence of fakes
It is worth understanding that, even at first glance, innocent information can be propaganda, and therefore in no case should you react to it.
To minimize the impact of fake news, it is worth developing critical thinking and media literacy skills. It is important not to absorb all information in a row, but to carefully check information sources. Do not succumb to the appeals of sensational headlines and emotionally colored messages. Do not rush to react. It is worth noting that simply not reacting is not the right tactic either. After all, fake posts do not go anywhere, but accumulate, creating a real pyramid in social networks. Therefore, it is important not only not to react, but to file complaints with the moderation services of social networks in order to remove such content.
The state should launch information awareness processes among the population regarding fake news and its negative impact on society.
Only a conscious approach to information consumption can protect us from the negative impact of fakes and make it possible to keep the information space truthful and reliable.
