Information Overload? What to do about it this election season We’ve reviewed top research on social media – and created 6 tips to save you time and stay informed during elections Things to Know Social media is designed to create strong emotions Algorithms boost information that creates strong emotions, especially anger because it increases clicks, which increases profits Learn more Information quality may decrease as companies cut back on trust and safety funding Mass layoffs and removal of trust and safety rules may drop the quality of content on your feed Learn more AI makes it harder to tell fact from fiction Advances in generative AI make it easier to create and distribute altered and fake audio and video content Learn more Things to Do Reduce low-quality information in your social media feed Adjust the settings on your apps to improve the quality of content you see Learn more Make a plan to vote and follow through Make a step-by-step plan ahead of time to avoid confusion on election day. Secure your voter registration, find out your polling location, and decide when and how you’ll vote. Learn more Rely on your state and local elections’ offices for elections information They will give you the most accurate info, and protect you from efforts to mislead you on social media. Learn more Click Through All Tips Recent Publications Towards Digital Platforms and Public Purpose Case Study on Online Youth Harms – Project Daisy Case Study: Facebook’s Governance Trade-offs in India Digital Platform Governance: Proposals Index Note: this publication opens in the Belfer Center’s website.
