Mainstream media have larger role in spreading fake news: Meta

New Delhi: Facebook's parent company Meta has claimed that mainstream media plays a more significant role than popular belief in spreading disinformation while communal polarization is declining in many parts of the world where social media use is increasing, IANS reported.

But Meta admitted that more academic research is needed to understand more about the true impact of social media in society, particularly in America.

After the recent article in The Atlantic, titled Why the Past 10 Years of American Life have Been Uniquely Stupid", Meta reacted that while the report discusses the impact of social media, "the preponderance of research tells a far more nuanced story and many of these questions lack clear answers".

Meta claimed, "Research from Stanford last year looked in-depth at trends in nine countries over 40 years, and found that in some countries polarisation was on the rise before Facebook even existed, and in others, it has been decreasing while internet and Facebook use increased."

Vice President, Head of Research, Meta, Pratiti Raychoudhury, said, "polarisation is decreasing in parts of the world where social media use is rising. More and more research also discredits the idea that social media algorithms create an echo chamber that causes polarisation and political upheavals."

She argued that evidence does not support the idea that Facebook, or social media generally, is the primary cause of polarization.

"We need more academic research to better understand social media's true impact, especially on democracy in America. That is one of the reasons why Meta is investing in open research and transparency, including the Facebook and Instagram Election Study," Raychoudhury added.

Meta argued that the strength of civic institutions was declining long before Facebook was started.