OPINION18 June 2019

Faking it: Can we trust social media data?

AI Behavioural economics Data analytics Media Opinion Privacy Social media Technology Trends

The first in a new series of 30-minute podcasts from the MRS Delphi Group. Aji Ghose from Sky, Cordelia Hay, Britain Thinks, and Colin Strong, Ipsos discuss the impact that fake information online is having on customer insight, and what the research industry should do about it.

Social media research is an important source of insight for most organisations today. But fake profiles, fake sentiment and fake data is a growing problem. This podcast gets to the heart of how data analysis and traditional research can work better together, or fail spectacularly.

In 2018 Facebook suspended 1.3bn fake accounts
The Mueller report stated 126 million Americans were influenced by fake profiles and content created by a Russian agency to influence the outcome of the 2016 US election
In April 2019 research from Which? magazine concluded that ‘Amazon is losing the battle against fake reviews’.

The host is Christian Walsh, digital director at the Market Research Society (MRS).

Find out more about the MRS Delphi Group and download free reports on trust in technology, data privacy and how to build an insight-driven organisation.

AI Behavioural economics Data analytics Media Opinion Privacy Social media Technology Trends