VOA常速英语:社交网络促使阴谋论传播

In recent weeks,dozens of 5G mobile telecoms masts have been set on fire across Britain.Police say many of the attacks have been motivated by a false belief that 5G technology is linked to the corona virus pandemic.Research by Kings College London and polling company IT Source Mori shows a strong correlation between belief in such conspiracy theories and a reliance on social media for news, including Facebook, YouTube,Twitter and Whatsapp, rather than broadcast or print media.Among people who believe the coronavirus does not exist at all, some 56 percent cited Facebook as their primary source of news. And we found that people who had gone outside or gone to work, despite having what they knew were possible coronavirus symptoms, were much more likely to be getting their information from social media."That presents a health risk that must be addressed", says British lawmaker Damian Collins, who also has concerns over the role social media might play in any vaccination program.

"And for the vaccine to be effective,we need, you know, the vast majority of people to to agree to take it. It's important that people have got confidence in that and if people are spreading conspiracy theories and lies about the vaccine and trying to persuade people not to take it,then there's a serious public health risks to that."Facebook, YouTube and Twitter say they have removed hundreds of thousands of videos and posts relating to COVID-19 misinformation that could lead to imminent harm.But the social media giants are facing a backlash on multiple fronts. More than 150 companies, including Starbucks and Coca Cola, have stopped buying advertising on Facebook over concerns around misinformation and hate speech.At the same time, US President Donald Trump is seeking to strip social media companies of legal immunity for the content posted by users after Twitter tagged one of his tweets with a fact-check notice."I think this if Twitter were not honorable, if you're gonna have a guy like this for your judge and jury.I think you shut it down as far as I'm concerned.But I'd have to go through a legal process. Social media companies say they have robust systems in place to deal with misinformation，but they remain opaque, says Allington,"Those systems have got to be opened up for auditing by democratically accountable bodies."The evidence that social media may be amplifying falsehoods about the coronavirus pandemic will likely increase the pressure on such companies to clamp down harder on misinformation.Henry Ridgwell for VOA news London