**7. Discussion**

The popularity of social media has significantly contributed to its massive use by different age groups of users. Almost 62% of seniors over 65 who actively use the Internet also use Facebook. In the 50–64 age group, it is up to 72%. The largest number of users is naturally within the younger generation. About 88% of people aged 18–29 who actively use the Internet also use Facebook. In the 30–49 age group, it is 84% [40]. The mentioned age structure of social network users proves that even the most vulnerable groups of users can encounter fake news. It is seniors who are learning to work with the Internet and whose digital skills are not developed enough to be able to face the attacks of fake news and hoaxes.

The phenomenon of fake news is also becoming relevant in the context of the development of the so-called "groundswell", which represents a way of using various technologies, including social media, to obtain information from their users themselves instead of using official sources [41]. It is precisely in the environment of social media that fake news is created very often and quickly, the authors of which are often their regular users who need to publicly express their often-unqualified opinions. The groundswell phenomenon is also characterized by the fact that users of social media also use them as a source of information [42, 43]. Li and Bernoff [41] define the groundswell as a social trend where people use technology to achieve what they need from each other rather than from traditional institutions such as businesses. Through the mentioned technologies, we understand precisely social media, blogs, applications, or other tools that permit obtaining the necessary information or sharing it.

According to Westerman [42], social media is increasingly used as an information source, including information about risks and crises. Sutter [43] points out that social media have also been used, for example, to find information on important topics, such as spreading current information about cholera outbreaks in Haiti and identifying sources of clean water during this outbreak. This way, they can encounter fake news much sooner than ever before, especially when they are looking for answers to their questions.

In the context of the use of social media as a source of information, several specific questions arise that affect not only the acquisition of information, but also its relevance, and at the same time bring a range of changes in the field of the basic communication process and the relationship between the sender of the message and its recipient. Due to these factors, the established paradigm of passively receiving

#### *DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.107257 Perspective Chapter: The Risks and Opportunities Associated with Social Media…*

information is changing and an active approach in the field of search and subsequent dissemination of information is beginning to prevail.

Another significant change related to technological interference is the gradual development of communication platforms and the possibility of social engagement of individual users. Based on this principle, several social media were created, which, however, gradually became for many users not only a place for social interaction, but also an active exchange of opinions, sharing experiences, and also searching for information. On the other hand, it was social media that made it possible to quickly inform about the risks of fake news that spread through them.

The algorithm for displaying messages based on "likes" or other emoticons, as well as sharing itself, creates the assumption of an effective intervention of a wide user group. The speed of identifying fake news and the subsequent sharing of a warning can thus be one of the tools to combat disinformation in the environment in which it spreads most often and fastest. However, as we stated in the previous chapter, despite the efforts of social media providers to remove content for violations of their misinformation policies, there is still much fake news on social media.

According to the latest survey of MEDIAN [44], more than 10% of the respondents declare that vaccination is used to microchip the population. Theories about chemtrails are believed by a fifth of the adult population, and the theory about the ordering of the attacks on the WTC by the US government is believed by a quarter. At least two of the investigated alternative theories are trusted by 21% of the population. Compared to the general population and those who do not tend to trust alternative theories, we can find people who tend to trust alternative theories more often among those aged 30–59, but also among people with lower levels of education. People who tend to believe in alternative theories are more often found among the unemployed compared to the general population, but also compared to those who do not believe in these theories. On the contrary, only a minimum can be found among students. The direct impact of misinformation can be seen, for example, in the other findings from this study, according to which people who tend to believe in alternative theories are significantly more likely not to be vaccinated than those who do not believe in such theories.

Another survey of MEDIAN [45] shows the influence of propaganda spread through social media. According to the findings, almost 12% of the inhabitants of the Slovak Republic consider the theory that Russia came to liberate Ukraine from the fascists through an attack to be true. According to 9% of respondents, there is no Russian war in Ukraine and it is a lie invented by the USA. A third of the population of the Slovak Republic declares that the media exaggerates the situation in Ukraine.

As Kačinová further points out [46], the current phenomenon of massive dissemination of alarm messages and the search for social tools to immunize the individual against their influence in a wider social context re-actualizes the topics of media education and its necessity. The need for a critical view of information mediated by the media is also pointed out by Hossová [47], who emphasizes that media literacy and the ability to critically approach published media content is a basic prerequisite for combating the pitfalls associated with information overload and the spread of false or distorted information. Critical thinking is also pointed to as an important factor by Graca [48], who states that with insufficient critical thinking, young people are often subject to manipulation by various interest groups, which not only hurts them, but is also detrimental to our society.

Systematic and purposeful dissemination of disinformation is one of the main tools used in hybrid operations. Defense and prevention against the effects of subversive information operations are strategic communication and active building of the population's resilience through the development of media education and critical thinking [49].

Another important aspect in protecting against misinformation is more rigorous control of the content by social media providers. Due to recent significant technological progress and the development of artificial intelligence, we can expect increasingly frequent occurrences of more sophisticated fake news, which we will be able to distinguish only with great difficulty. On the other hand, this progress also presents opportunities for the development of tools capable of identifying fake news and preventing it from appearing directly in the social media environment.

## **8. Conclusion**

This chapter addressed the impact of the latest crises (COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine) on the use of social media and the main risks associated with their use, mainly regarding the spread of fake news and misinformation.

The author described the main changes in media **behavior** and the use of social media during these crises. The new coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine attracted considerable attention not only from the audience but also from the media, which provided up-to-date information daily. The most visible change in media **behavior** is that people spent more time with the media, especially online media (within social media) and used them for actively searching for information about the pandemic or military conflict. For this reason, they have encountered fake news and misinformation that appeared especially on social media.

Disinformation has become a hybrid tool as a form of attack on the country**'**s interests and the security of its citizens. Thus, the author focused on the occurrence of fake news and the possibility of eliminating its spread, as well as current scientific knowledge about the impact of social media on critical thinking and the ability to identify fake news. This chapter provided some examples of the most shared fake news and its characteristic features. The author also described the main activities of social media providers and national institutions in fighting disinformation and eliminating its spread. Despite these activities, there is still much fake news on social media. For this reason, media education is very important in the process of an effective fight against disinformation and social media literacy. It is necessary to educate students, adults and elderly people about the risks of using social media, learn how to **recognize** fake news and develop more sophisticated tools to prevent its spread.

## **Acknowledgements**

The chapter is the result of the CEDMO project, which is co-financed by the European Commission within the call CEF-TC-2020-2 (European Digital Media Observatory). Reference number: 2020-EU-IA-0267.

*Perspective Chapter: The Risks and Opportunities Associated with Social Media… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.107257*
