Poder informacional e manipulação: a Rede Social "X" como plataforma da desinformação

Abstract

Social media, with their ability to segment audiences and amplify certain messages, have become fertile ground for information manipulation. Social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, is one of the most affected by this, especially after being acquired by Elon Musk, whose more flexible moderation policies led to an increase in sensitive content, hate speech, and misinformation. In Brazil, blocking X was a measure taken to pressure the platform to act against the proliferation of fake news and extremist speech. This measure only makes it clear that the problems of mass misinformation, information manipulation, and hate speech on social media are still persistent. In this scenario, the role of the librarian becomes fundamental in dealing with this issue. Librarians, as intermediaries and those responsible for selecting information, have the possibility of acting in an essential way in detecting and confronting misinformation, using their information literacy skills to instruct users on the manipulation of information and reliable sources. In addition, librarians can collaborate on data verification projects and work in partnership with online platforms to create curation systems that encourage the dissemination of verified information. This article addresses the issue of information manipulation on X, examining how librarians can act against misinformation on social media, highlighting the importance of public policies and collaborative actions to solve this challenge.