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Facebook to Start Weeding out Fake News Stories. There Was Much Rejoicing.

Facebook News Feed
Matt Cardy/Getty Images

If you’ve spent more than an hour on Facebook, you’ve inevitably come across a ‘news’ story in your news feed that has been posted by a friend that isn’t true.

“Obama to Ban Gasoline Powered Vehicles,” “Sons of Anarchy Movie to Begin Filming,” and likely the ‘story’ that circulates about every eight months: the Facebook ‘disclaimer’ that people believe they can post to stop Facebook or anyone from using pictures that they have posted on the social media giant.

Then people like me scroll by and we start to feel like the guy from the 1981 cult classic movie Scanners where our head feels like it is literally about to explode from all the people who are sucked in by the fake stories, posting them as if they are facts.

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Facebook is now attempting to become a more trusted source of information. Facebook announced in a blogpost Wednesday that it is making an effort to decrease the number of hoaxes and misleading stories posted in users’ News Feeds.

The blog reads:

People often share these hoaxes and later decide to delete their original posts after they realize they have been tricked. These types of posts tend to receive lots of comments from friends letting people know this is a hoax, and comments containing hoax-busting websites.

Users can now report a post as a false news story. Facebook won’t be fact-checking the content, but it hopes the change will cut back on the distribution of fake posts.

Now if we could just do away with internet ‘trolls.’

You know the type. They show up on every news story, complaining about the President, the police, how there isn’t anything to do in their town, how they don’t approve of the shows the PREMIER Center is booking (or who gets tickets, or what night of the week shows are on, or that their favorite bands aren’t playing there). The people who post just to stir up trouble.

I have no problem with people who voice opinions with facts or offer solutions, but people who post just to encourage rage and ‘stir the pot’ just for the sake of stirring the pot, make it difficult to swallow. I know I’m not the only one that feels that way as I’ve seen a LOT of posts on that very subject recently too.

Maybe I just need a break from social media for awhile, but at least Facebook is attempting to make it a little better.

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