INSIDER: Here's everything TikTok says it's doing to fight misinformation
Misinformation will be around as long as there are social media users, says UC expert
Social media expert Jeffrey Blevins, PhD, head of the Department of Journalism. Photo/provided.
Social media is rife with misinformation, but TikTok recently announced it’s going to take two new precautions – in the form of enforcement and education – leading up to the 2022 midterm elections.
"No matter how well-intentioned these policies are - what users must keep in mind - is that there is no foolproof way to combat misinformation," professor and social media expert Jeffrey Blevins told Business Insider.
Blevins, who heads UC’s Department of Journalism, is an often-cited media source and has conducted extensive research on social media platforms and how misinformation is spread.
TikTok is partnering with fact-checking organizations, including Politifact and SciVerify, to assess the accuracy of content; however, there is so much user generated content that some misinformation is bound to slip through the cracks, Blevins said.
Professor Blevins is the co-author of “Social Media, Social Justice and the Political Economy of Online Networks.” He holds affiliate faculty positions at UC in the Department of Communications and the School of Public and International Affairs. His scholarship is grounded in U.S. telecommunication law and policy and engages critical political economy theory.
Read the Business Insider article
Featured image of cell phone with apps courtesy of Unsplash.
Impact Lives Here
The University of Cincinnati is leading public urban universities into a new era of innovation and impact. Our faculty, staff and students are saving lives, changing outcomes and bending the future in our city's direction. Next Lives Here.
Related Stories
UC researcher develops at-home diagnostic test for endometriosis
April 21, 2025
Katherine Burns, a University of Cincinnati researcher who has endometriosis, speaks about her journey of developing a non-invasive diagnostic test for the condition.
UC celebrates Earth Day 2025 with award-winning publication
April 21, 2025
Earth Day celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. Since its inception, Earth Day has gone global, and with its adoption have come federal intuitions such as the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and policies familiar to most: the Clean Air, Clean Water and Endangered Species acts. This year, UC’s College of Arts and Sciences has reason to celebrate as well. It’s a regional win, capturing the reformation of Fernald, a former nuclear production facility located in northwest Cincinnati. Professor and environmental historian Casey Huegel has received numerous awards for his book, “Cleaning Up the Bomb Factory: Grassroots Activism and Nuclear Waste in the Midwest,” (Weyerhaeuser Environmental Books, 2024).
NEXT Innovation Scholar Charlie Harker
April 21, 2025
From strategizing with community leaders on the future of transportation solutions to collaborating with global corporate partners to dive into complex consumer insights, the NEXT Innovation Scholars (NIS) program at the University of Cincinnati empowers a new generation of leaders and problem solvers.