Disinformation on Twitter/X is rife – how can we stop it?

So read the meme Twitter/X owner Elon Musk shared in response to a letter from an EU official on concerns about “hateful content” on the social media platform.

The billionaire took over the company in October 2022 and it has been mired in controversy since then, particularly when it comes to the spread of misinformation.

READ MORE: Humza Yousaf: Here's why I'm still on Twitter/X despite Elon Musk row

From a Scottish perspective, Musk has been embroiled in a row with former first minister Humza Yousaf after sharing a heavily edited speech the MSP gave when he was justice secretary.

The clash didn’t stop there with Yousaf reportedly threatening Musk with legal action, which the Twitter/X owner responded to by labelling the former FM a “scumbag”.

He also approvingly shared a post from Malaysian right-wing influencer Ian Miles Cheong who suggested anyone who showed “someone a spicy meme” on transgender people or “mass migration” would be jailed under Scottish hate crime laws – a claim which was disproved by top law academics.

Disinformation hasn’t all been about Musk though, with Reform leader Nigel Farage having previously apologised for spreading misinformation with regards to the killing of three young girls in Southport.

He had taken to Twitter/X to reference reports that the attacker was “known to the security services”.

At the beginning of August meanwhile, Police Scotland were forced to issue a statement amid unverified social media claims that a far-right march was about to take place in Glasgow.

And that’s all just in Scotland. With disinformation so rife and seemingly no end in sight for any improvements, it begs the question – how do you solve a problem like Twitter/X?

Taking a step back

EARLIER this week, the body representing Scotland’s librarians, CILIPS, issued a statement saying it was backing away from the platform due to “misinformation” and “harmful content”.

It came in the same week that social media owners topped a list of the biggest perceived threats to a trustworthy online new environment in a report from the International Panel on the Information Environment (IPIE).

Speaking to the Sunday National, the IPIE’s co-founder Professor Philip Howard with the University of Oxford said it was “concerning” social media firms don’t seem to be responding to calls for change.

READ MORE: The full timeline of Elon Musk vs Humza Yousaf

The panel’s findings were based on responses from 412 researchers in a variety of fields primarily concentrated in the US and Western Europe, although other countries including China, India, Nigeria and Brazil were included.

“It featured a range of questions, about political parties and government interference, and the focus was really on ownership,” Howard explained.

“We had in mind some examples, such as Elon Musk, but didn’t identify him specifically because we wanted people to think generally about ownership structure.

“I guess I was surprised at how consistently across the world, everyone is aware of the fact that these platforms for public conversation are owned by particular people with their own interests.”

Twitter/X has also just released its latest transparency report, revealing that from January to June 2024, nearly 5.3 million accounts were reportedly suspended while more than 10.6 million posts were either taken down or flagged for breaking platform rules.

For the University of Glasgow’s Dr Yvonne Skipper - who has herself come off of Twitter/X because it has become such a “toxic space” - responsibility also lies with individuals to educate themselves.

She told the Sunday National: “It’s important that we as individuals upskill ourselves in terms of our own skills in spotting misinformation, being critical and not being part of the problem.

“We can’t click share without reading or doing some research but the platforms also have a responsibility for making sure they are safe spaces and aren’t causing these problems.”

What do MPs think?

PREVIOUS reports have suggested that a number of Labour MPs left Twitter/X following comments made by Musk (below) about far-right riots in England and Northern Ireland, including suggesting “civil war is inevitable”.

Bosses at social media site Bluesky meanwhile have suggested they are eyeing politicians for the platform with high-profile Labour figures Jess Phillips and Diane Abbott among its users.

Speaking to the Sunday National, however, Humza Yousaf said he wouldn’t be “bullied” off Twitter/X despite his ongoing row with its owner.

Meanwhile, SNP MP for Perth and Kinross-shire Pete Wishart (below) told the Sunday National that while he still remained on the platform, he has been using it less.

“I’m sticking with Twitter/X just now, but with little enthusiasm and with my time on it greatly reduced,” he said.

“Since Musk took over, your chances of encountering abuse, nastiness and misinformation have greatly increased.

“The only relief is the block button which if used liberally can make the experience just about palatable.”

However, changes to the block button now mean that if an account is public, posts will still be visible to blocked users but they won’t be able to interact with the user.

Wishart added that he stays on the platform because he has taken the time to build up a following and that he still believes it is useful in promoting stories or breaking news.

“I think, like so many, if we could somehow flawlessly transfer to some other more congenial site we would do so in a minute,” he said.

“I hope that maybe soon Musk will tire of his very expensive toy and we might be able to return to a more conducive, moderated environment where engagement is a bit more positive.”

Potential Solutions

THE issues on social media platforms are clear for anyone to see, but both Professor Howard and Dr Skipper believe there are solutions which could be implemented.

Professor Howard believes that more stringent rules on content labelling would create a healthier online news environment for people to consume news.

“Last summer, IPIE did a major study of 10,000 papers over 10 years and found the one consistent intervention that works is content labelling,” he said.

“So even the simplest system with a green flag, yellow flag or red flag that shows users a platform is not certain something is true or that you need to do additional reading.

“It is the simplest of systems which can increase the trustworthiness of the source.”

He continued: “Ultimately, the firms want voluntary self-regulation, they don’t want public policy oversight.

“The best models though are the ones where the government tells the platforms they have to have something in place and stick to the rules but can’t change the guidelines as they please.

“It wouldn’t be the government regulating the content, but we don’t want individual billionaire owners doing that.

“The best way forward is a clear system to explain to users what a flag means and to apply it consistently across the whole site.”

For Dr Skipper, it all comes back to education across all age groups.

“The problem with fake news is that it’s a little bit like driving – we all think we’re above average,” she says.

“So we tend to assume we’re better at spotting it than we are and that makes us very vulnerable.

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“I think education on this stuff needs to come into place as early as possible. Even very young children can understand telling the truth and telling lies.

“They’re using tablets. They’re not meant to be using social media of course but you can have age-appropriate conversations even with eight-year-olds about things in comment sections or why people might say that, about being safe in terms of who they’re talking to.

“We can’t just assume we’re the grown-ups though because we know these things as a lot of the kids are better at spotting photoshop edits and things like that because it’s the sort of thing they’re doing.”