Facebook, Fact-Checking, and Fake News!

Fake News. It’s a phrase that’s been thrown around a lot on social media, especially during this past election. But what does it mean, really? Fake news can be defined as, a type of yellow journalism or propaganda that consists of deliberate misinformation or hoaxes spread via traditional print and broadcast news media or online social media.

Facebook can be a cesspool of fake news articles. I’m sure you’ve seen articles along the lines of, “Hillary Clinton Orders the Execution of Donald Trump’s Daughter,” from a website with a name like “FreedomEagleSoldier.com,” or an article like this one from “News Bible Report,” claiming Sasha Obama had been shot and killed. These articles are clearly ludicrous and the thought that someone could believe it is borderline hilarious.

Unfortunately, these articles can do some real damage. Propaganda and fake news during the 2016 election had such a profound impact that it outperformed real news. Facebook received a considerable amount of backlash because of this to the point where they needed to do something to combat it. Now, if you see an article you believe is fake, you have the option to report it. If enough people report it as fake, it gets sent to a fact-checking organization like Snopes or Politifact. Once determined that it is indeed fake, the article shows up on Facebook with a red banner saying, “Disputed by Third-Party Fact Checkers.”

In some instances, these precautions don’t have the desired effect. Usually fake news stories don’t get branded as fake until after they go viral and the damage has been done. Certain groups see that Facebook flagged a particular story and say, “Hey, they’re trying to censor us! Share this!” This is what happened with Christian Winthrop’s false story that claimed hundreds of thousands of Irish people were brought to the US as slaves. By saying, “Don’t share this, it’s fake news,” it had the opposite effect.

 A number of technologists, academics, and media experts have pitched ideas to Facebook to help them with their fake news problem. Some ideas include verifying news pages, sort of like how Twitter uses a blue checkmark for verified celebrity accounts; sharer reputation ranking which takes into account the types of articles a person shares; and connecting fake news to fact-checking sites, so that when you click a link to a false story, it can also open a page debunking it.

Even with all of these modifications, some think that the more Facebook tries to debunk a story, the more people will still decide to believe it. So, the question remains: How can we get people to agree with facts when the fact in question doesn’t fit how they want to view the world?

Written by Alexia Amato of Rebecca Adele PR & Events

Halloween Clown Craze Scare!

Clowns are a hot topic of conversation this past month. No longer are people laughing at clowns—they are running at the mention of them! Whether they used to make you giggle as a child, or send chills down your spine, they are now scarier than ever before thanks to social media and the news. 

Let's rewind.. It all began with the first clown sighting in Greenville, South Carolina, where two clowns were seen trying to lure a little boy into the woods. Once this news story hit national news, clown sightings began to spread like wildfire.

Clown sightings have blown up social media including Twitter, Youtube, and Facebook. It was even brought to attention at a White House briefing with Press Secretary Josh Earnest! So how has this become a topic of interest so quickly? The answer is social media.

Twitter has been has become the main news outlet for clown sightings and other clown activates. Twitter profiles such as @ClownSightings have been created to help people stay posted about recent sightings.

Further more, college students have been joining forces to hunt down the clowns. A video of a shirtless Penn State student leading a manhunt of 6,000 students went viral shortly after it was posted. The students were notified of the hunt through Twitter. Not too mention, the Penn State Clown has his own twitter account @PennStateClown. 

On Monday, October 3^rd, Twitter blew up for Kent State students due to a clown sighting on Kent State’s campus. Students were tweeting comments such as, “The circus is in Kent, how exciting!” Or “Join the hunt! #KentStateClown” Similarly, the Kent State Clown also has a Twitter account @KentStateClown.

Whether these clowns are dangerous or pranksters, I think we can all agree that it’s a little frightening! My advice to you—Don’t trust anyone with a clown outfit, you don’t know who is hiding behind it! Oh, and Happy Halloween!

Written by Lindsay Pizzurro of Rebecca Adele PR & Events

Miss Teen USA Eliminates Swimsuit Competition

Miss. Teen USA is one of America’s highest-profile beauty pageants. Founded 33 years ago, the competition has always featured rounds where contestants compete in private interviews with the judges, and presentation rounds in evening wear, and swim suits. However, change is coming this July 30th at The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino in Las Vegas. For the first year ever, the swimsuit round has been eliminated. Instead, the 51 women will be judged in a brand-new athletic wear competition.

The pageant’s organizers stated that the swimsuit portions were always intended to show off the athleticism of the competitors. However, the swimsuit category was chastised for exploiting and sexualizing young women and not promoting diverse body types. The new athletic-wear portion will now focus on young women’s health and wellness.

Former Miss Teen USA Katherine Haik always wanted to eliminate the swimsuit round. “I have always been an athlete my entire life. As member of a softball team and a competitive dance team, I spend a lot of time in athletic wear,” she stated. “This new direction for Miss Teen USA is a great way to celebrate the active lives that so many women lead and set a strong example for our peers.”

The pageant’s shift from swimsuits to athletic wear is also a smart business move, chasing the rise of athleisure fashion, says former Miss Virginia Nancy Redd. “Teens are spending 1 percent of their life in a bathing suite and 50 percent in athleisure. The pageant is following the trend of who can sponsor them.”

Reaction to the new decision was overwhelmingly positive, with many comments from former contestants and judges. This big switch could impact the other pageants in the Miss. Universe organization. It will be interesting to see if they follow the lead of Miss Teen USA.  The 2016 Miss Teen USA pageant will be held in Las Vegas on July 30^th.

Written by Lexie Gomez of Rebecca Adele PR & Events

Out with the Old, in with the New: Instagram Introduces New Logo

Recently, Instagram released a new logo and most of the Internet freaked out. The Facebook-owned photo-sharing app removed its universal tan-and-brown camera logo for a vibrant design with a white camera outline inside. Instagram’s other apps – layout, Hyperlapse and Boomerang – also have similar redesigns.

It seems like “insta-lovers” aren’t big on change, some users had some pretty strong reactions to the new look.

The big question is why the change? Instagram said the change reflects the developments the company has made since its launch in October 2010. According to Ian Splater who is head of design for Instagram, “The instagram logo and design was beginning to feel, well…not reflective of the community, and frankly we thought we could make it better,” he writes in a post on Medium.

It is obvious that the new app was inspired by the previous app icon. They also made improvements to how the instagram app looks on the inside as well. The design is supposed to make the app feel simpler. The design allows there to be more focus on the photos and videos users post without changing how you navigate the app. Although this is the most noticeable change to this app, it is also implementing updates that will have a more significant impact on marketers.

The Instagram community has progressed over the past five years from a place to share filtered photos too much more.  Instagram’s fresh new look reflects how diverse and lively your story telling has become.

Written by Carly Wiegand of Rebecca Adele PR & Events

Facebook Moving Towards Live Streaming TV Shows

As of March 21^st, 2016, Facebook is now moving towards live streaming television shows! Cable network E! was the first to bring their show live on Facebook at 12:30pm that day. The show has been revamped to fit the new single-camera format, but will still bring the breaking news and content that viewers want to see.

E! has a massive social media following, with 9 million Facebook page likes! They hope that to attract a new  following as viewers will be able to comment and leave questions directly on their Facebook page and these will be answered live on air! E! will continue to air their show daily, at the same time slot, and viewers will be informed via Facebook notifications.

While this is currently the only show being streamed live, Facebook has much bigger plans for this platform. They have recently been in meetings with multiple TV executives over the past couple weeks and are currently competing with Twitter to gain rights to NFL’s Thursday night games. They also have stated that they are willing to pay a little bit to have famous people start creating live videos. This would be huge for Facebook, and I am sure they will get what they want!

What shows would you want to see broadcasted live on Facebook? Share with us your thoughts and opinions!

Written by Casie Varacelli from Rebecca Adele PR & Events

Facebook: More Trending Topics, More Substance

We all know how easy it is to scroll mindlessly through Facebook’s infinite news feed. With friends keeping you updated on their life-events, funny videos, or what they ate for lunch, you may get lost in the crowd of content. In the midst of all this over-stimulation, we can’t help but crave something with more substance. Well, Facebook has heard this cry and taken a step in a more substantial direction.

The dawn of Facebook Trending improved the site to give users a worthwhile experience while they update their statuses. Most are familiar with the “Trending” sidebar on the homepage. It features a list of words and phrases that are most often mentioned in Facebook users’ posts, along with a brief description or headline.

A recent update to Facebook’s Trending sidebar plans to expand the service by offering different categories for trending topics. At the top of the sidebar, along with an “All News” section, there will be five topics: Sports, Entertainment, Politics, Business, and Science & Technology.

As Facebook tries to become an established news distribution platform, the update caters to the unique consumer by offering a variety of stories and headlines that intrigue a specific Facebook user.

This change is will also be beneficial to marketers with content that matches category niches, allowing them to target their audiences through trending topics included on the list. It is also helpful to media outlets who want to get more exposure and user engagement.

Facebook’s latest update to the Trending sidebar is a positive step in the direction of high-quality content and providing its users with a meaningful, fulfilling experience. Though the site is first and foremost a social media platform, the growing news distribution feature adds both substance and variety to the social network.

Written by Jackie Miesle of Rebecca Adele PR & Events