Question
"Skewed Brazilian Election a Social Media Danger"
by Luca Belli
It’s a WhatsApp-defined world
Brazil is only the latest country to learn that social media can undermine the democratic process.
Numerous studies have confirmed that a toxic blend of data mismanagement, targeted advertisement and online misinformation also influenced the outcomes of the United Kingdom’s Brexit vote and the 2016 U.S. presidential race.
Brazil’s WhatsApp election scandal should be a wake-up call particularly for other developing world democracies, as revealed in research I recently presented at the United Nations’ Internet Governance Forum.
That’s because the conditions that allowed fake news to thrive in Brazil exist in many Latin American, African and Asian countries.
Internet access is very expensive in Brazil. A broadband connection can cost up to 15 percent of a household’s income and mobile plans with unlimited data, common in rich countries, are rare.
Instead, mobile carriers entice users by offering “zero rating” plans with free access to specific applications, typically Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter. Nearly three-quarters of Brazilian internet users had these prepaid mobile-internet plans in 2016, according to the technology research center CETIC.br.
Most Brazilians therefore have unlimited social media access but very little access to the rest of the internet. This likely explains why 95 percent of all Brazilian internet users say they mostly go online for messaging apps and social media.
Yet the “rest of the internet” is precisely where Brazilians might have verified the political news sent to them on WhatsApp during the 2018 election. Essentially, fact-checking is too expensive for the average Brazilian.
Move fast and break democracy
Democracy cannot thrive when the electorate is intentionally misinformed about candidates, parties and policies.
Political debate driven by likes, shares and angry comments on social media increases polarization and distorts healthy public discourse. Yet evidence shows that insults, lies and polemics are what best drive the user engagement that generates that precious personal data.
For over a decade, social networks have been associated with free communication, unfettered by gatekeepers like news editors or fact-checkers. Many in Silicon Valley and beyond saw this innovative disruption as broadly beneficial for society.
That can be true when social networks are just one of many ways that people can engage in open and pluralistic debate. But when just a handful of apps are available to the majority of users, serving as the sole channel for democratic dialogue, social media can be easily manipulated to poisonous ends.
Mark Zuckerberg’s longstanding motto was, “Move fast and break things.” That catchphrase was retired in April 2018, perhaps because it is increasingly evident that democracy is among the things that Facebook and friends have left broken.
© NewsHour Productions LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Question
Use the passage to answer the question.
Which statements best explain why this passage is more suitable for a debate than a discussion? Select the two correct answers.
(1 point)
Responses
It shows a willingness to compromise.
It shows a willingness to compromise.
It includes several facts, statistics, and reasons.
It includes several facts, statistics, and reasons.
It makes claims about the effects of social media on democracy.
It makes claims about the effects of social media on democracy.
It has an informal style.
It has an informal style.
It mainly features personal stories from the author.
It mainly features personal stories from the author.
Skip to navigation
Use the passage to answer the question.
Which statements best explain why this passage is more suitable for a debate than a discussion? Select the two correct answers.
(1 point)
Responses
It shows a willingness to compromise.
It shows a willingness to compromise.
It includes several facts, statistics, and reasons.
It includes several facts, statistics, and reasons.
It makes claims about the effects of social media on democracy.
It makes claims about the effects of social media on democracy.
It has an informal style.
It has an informal style.
It mainly features personal stories from the author.
It mainly features personal stories from the author.
Skip to navigation
by Luca Belli
It’s a WhatsApp-defined world
Brazil is only the latest country to learn that social media can undermine the democratic process.
Numerous studies have confirmed that a toxic blend of data mismanagement, targeted advertisement and online misinformation also influenced the outcomes of the United Kingdom’s Brexit vote and the 2016 U.S. presidential race.
Brazil’s WhatsApp election scandal should be a wake-up call particularly for other developing world democracies, as revealed in research I recently presented at the United Nations’ Internet Governance Forum.
That’s because the conditions that allowed fake news to thrive in Brazil exist in many Latin American, African and Asian countries.
Internet access is very expensive in Brazil. A broadband connection can cost up to 15 percent of a household’s income and mobile plans with unlimited data, common in rich countries, are rare.
Instead, mobile carriers entice users by offering “zero rating” plans with free access to specific applications, typically Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter. Nearly three-quarters of Brazilian internet users had these prepaid mobile-internet plans in 2016, according to the technology research center CETIC.br.
Most Brazilians therefore have unlimited social media access but very little access to the rest of the internet. This likely explains why 95 percent of all Brazilian internet users say they mostly go online for messaging apps and social media.
Yet the “rest of the internet” is precisely where Brazilians might have verified the political news sent to them on WhatsApp during the 2018 election. Essentially, fact-checking is too expensive for the average Brazilian.
Move fast and break democracy
Democracy cannot thrive when the electorate is intentionally misinformed about candidates, parties and policies.
Political debate driven by likes, shares and angry comments on social media increases polarization and distorts healthy public discourse. Yet evidence shows that insults, lies and polemics are what best drive the user engagement that generates that precious personal data.
For over a decade, social networks have been associated with free communication, unfettered by gatekeepers like news editors or fact-checkers. Many in Silicon Valley and beyond saw this innovative disruption as broadly beneficial for society.
That can be true when social networks are just one of many ways that people can engage in open and pluralistic debate. But when just a handful of apps are available to the majority of users, serving as the sole channel for democratic dialogue, social media can be easily manipulated to poisonous ends.
Mark Zuckerberg’s longstanding motto was, “Move fast and break things.” That catchphrase was retired in April 2018, perhaps because it is increasingly evident that democracy is among the things that Facebook and friends have left broken.
© NewsHour Productions LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Question
Use the passage to answer the question.
Which statements best explain why this passage is more suitable for a debate than a discussion? Select the two correct answers.
(1 point)
Responses
It shows a willingness to compromise.
It shows a willingness to compromise.
It includes several facts, statistics, and reasons.
It includes several facts, statistics, and reasons.
It makes claims about the effects of social media on democracy.
It makes claims about the effects of social media on democracy.
It has an informal style.
It has an informal style.
It mainly features personal stories from the author.
It mainly features personal stories from the author.
Skip to navigation
Use the passage to answer the question.
Which statements best explain why this passage is more suitable for a debate than a discussion? Select the two correct answers.
(1 point)
Responses
It shows a willingness to compromise.
It shows a willingness to compromise.
It includes several facts, statistics, and reasons.
It includes several facts, statistics, and reasons.
It makes claims about the effects of social media on democracy.
It makes claims about the effects of social media on democracy.
It has an informal style.
It has an informal style.
It mainly features personal stories from the author.
It mainly features personal stories from the author.
Skip to navigation
Answers
GPT-4o mini
The two statements that best explain why this passage is more suitable for a debate than a discussion are:
1. **It includes several facts, statistics, and reasons.**
2. **It makes claims about the effects of social media on democracy.**
These elements indicate a structured argument that is often characteristic of a debate rather than a casual discussion.
1. **It includes several facts, statistics, and reasons.**
2. **It makes claims about the effects of social media on democracy.**
These elements indicate a structured argument that is often characteristic of a debate rather than a casual discussion.