Q&A: Fake news could lead to more Cronulla-style riots, experts warn
Could the spread of hate speech on social media lead to something worse than the Cronulla riots? Photo: ABC
Fake news, alternative facts, the post-truth era and the spread of misinformation on social media could spark hate and bigotry worse than the Cronulla riots, experts say.
Panellists on Monday night’s Q&A were asked if something worse than the 2005 race riots could be instigated by the rise of hate speech on social media.
The response was a resounding ‘yes’, with the experts warning today’s technology could lead to even more violent altercations.
Claire Wardle from digital publishing researcher and consultants First Draft News, echoed the statement saying misinformation could be driven by sharing incorrect material.
Meanwhile, Liberal Senator Zed Seselja was more optimistic, saying he had faith in the capacity of Australians to respect each other.
Watch the Cronulla riots segment below:
Could hate speech on social media instigate something worse than a riot? Mark Day & @terrimbutler respond #QandA pic.twitter.com/bAKFxuxD8R
— QandA (@QandA) March 20, 2017
According to Ms Wardle, social media giants such as Facebook and Twitter must respond to the flood of misinformation, saying the buck stops with them and they have a lot of questions to answer.
Fake news is creating an “increasingly dangerous world”, Mr Day said. Photo: ABC
Mr Day said for the safety of the world, these networks must eradicate incorrect information from social media platforms.