https://www.npr.org/2020/09/22/915676948/can-circuit-breakers-stop-viral-rumors-on-facebook-twitter

Critics of Facebook and Twitter — and even some people inside the companies — say dramatic action is needed to counter the way the platforms supercharge false, and sometimes dangerous, claims.

On social media, it is easy for rumors to go viral, while efforts to fact check or correct those rumors often lag behind.

Part of the reason these claims spread so widely on Facebook, in particular, is that the world’s biggest social network rewards engagement. Posts that get lots of shares, comments and likes get shown to more people, quickly amplifying their reach.

Facebook is well aware of its power to make stories go viral. As the fire rumors proliferated, the company put warnings on some posts its fact checkers had found false and reduced their distribution.

But that wasn’t enough to quell the rumors.

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https://www.npr.org/2020/09/25/916782712/civil-rights-groups-say-if-facebook-wont-act-on-election-misinformation-they-wil
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more on social media in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=social+media