With social media platforms increasingly want to ensure that they have done all they can do to evade being reproved for impacting the last result in any way, with election day fast approaching. Youtube has highlighted today the recent set of alerts and prompts to assist users to get reliable information around the elections and the poll on the big day.
Firstly, YouTube is adding the new results panel for elections at the top of search results related to the elections to make sure that users know the case of the poll as counting is underway.
“This information panel will note that election results may not be final and link to Google’s election results feature, which will enable you to track election results in real-time. As in previous years and for this year’s primaries, Google will be working with The Associated Press to provide authoritative election results.”
Social media platforms have become very concerned about the part they have to play potentially in distributing rumors and misinformation about the poll results, with US President Donald Trump evading questions repeatedly around making it easy and peaceful to transfer the power if he lost the poll.
That and Donald Trump’s continuing criticism of the voting procedures, has witnessed some recommendations that prematurely Trump may look to declare victory. And by his great social media presence that may then direct to spread between his supporters as the true results are transported.
YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter have all added measurements to adverse this and make sure that users know what are the results based on reliable sources.
Additionally, YouTube will as well promote links to relevant, timely information, towards the top of the homepage of YouTube.
“Leading up to Election Day, you’ll be able to find a link to Google’s how to vote feature and on Election Day itself, a link to Google’s where to vote feature. Then, as polls close, you’ll see a shelf of live streams of election night coverage from authoritative news partners so that, like in previous elections, you can come to YouTube throughout the evening to watch election night unfold.”
YouTube has stated that it will also remain to lift reliable sources such as news publishers like Fox News and CNN, with news and information queries related to the elections in the search results and in the ‘watch next’ panels.
Ideally, that will halt the distribution of misinformation and counter-narratives about the results, with the “Up Next” suggestions usually lead users down conspiracy theories and rabbit holes that may cloud the official announcements. YouTube knows this and it has worked on improving its recommendations over time, with the reduction or the removal of various edge movements.
Currently, these efforts will be placed to the final test.
Nobody is sure what is going to occur in the US election, or how the candidates and their support base will respond, yet with this significant division in the American society, it is a specific changing situation. that may erupt if the officials and authorities are not cautious.
Also, as stated, social media has a major role in this. Anyway, look at it, social media platforms, and now major providers of data, and as such, there’s a stage of load on the social media platform to police their systems to make sure they do not feed risky narratives, and fuel that concern even more.
Now, we are entering the final extend, and however, the maximized efforts of the social media platforms look like they are working, and halting misinformation. However, again, we did not know about the Facebook 2016 Russian interference until after the poll. So, we will have to wait to see what will come next.
