How Truth and Lies Spread on Twitter

Hurricane Sandy was a huge moment for New York City. It was also a huge moment for how Americans think about social media. As power went out in lower Manhattan, many residents turned to Twitter and Facebook on their smartphones to learn exactly how the hurricane was impacting their neighborhoods. As vital information flooded Twitter and Facebook, misinformation soon bubbled to the top. According to Jeff Jarvis, author of Public Parts: How Sharing in the Digital Age Improves the Way We Work and Live, no decentralized network like Twitter or Facebook will be totally free from misinformation. But, he adds, that the lie can spread fast, but the truth can spread faster, too. He provides his own experience with Hurricane Sandy as an example. As he scrolls down in reverse order on Twitter, he sees correction after correction. He sees 10 times as many corrections as erroneous reports. And the time between them is amazingly small.