A report on electoral influence is the topic of tonight’s Debate. Håkon Kristiansen Framnes is one of those who has experienced electoral influence on the body. Three years back in time. Framnes is a student at Lillestrøm upper secondary school when the news program Folkeopplysningen tries to influence the choice of school. Left a mark The methods used by the news program were controversial, such as fake news, election fraud and user profiles on social media. The aim was to make the Center Party the largest party during the school elections. Folkeopplysningen tried to manipulate school elections Although the attempt, which was carried out in PFU, is three years back in time, Framnes remembers it well. He was in third grade at the upper secondary school when the attempt was revealed, and was himself active in the Labor Party’s youth group. Taking action – At first I thought it was fun. But then it sunk in a bit and then it wasn’t so much fun after all. We felt cheated and disrespected. People think that running politics in Norway is safe. You trust the information you get and you think you don’t need to check all the sources you read all the time, he says. FELT CHEATED: Håkon Kristiansen Framnes (21) was a student at the school when Photo: Marius Christensen / news Framnes was 18 at the time. He now studies political science at the University of Oslo and takes several steps in his everyday life to avoid being influenced. – I have become more critical and more concerned that theories and claims that come up in the feed must be rooted in facts. I make sure to create my own feed in social media, and only follow the news channels that I personally trust. It’s a bit of a shame that it has to be like that. Heard several conspiracy theories In addition to being subjected to electoral influence, he has also met people who have tried to influence him with their own conspiracy theories. – That the Labor Party controls news is of course a funny conspiracy. Maybe not the sickest. But I laughed when I heard it. On an exchange in Dresden, Germany, Framnes was also served a theory that made him smile. – In Dresden we met some who were very skeptical of those who rule the country. It was during their regular Monday demonstration. They told us that the coronavirus was something Merkel had invented. They also raised serious questions about whether the coronavirus even existed. It was interesting, says the 21-year-old. Used to fake news Framnes claims that young people today are used to being served fake news on social media. – My generation is used to being bombarded with fake news. In social media, there are many different actors who spread different articles, opinions and false profiles, he says and adds: – The basis of the election campaign must be that you relate to the same truths and claims. Likes to Høyre and Frp – But if everyone is concerned with following those they like in their own feed, and everyone seeks their own truth, how do you spot the different points of view that exist out there? – It may be a good idea to follow others you don’t agree with. For example, I have clicked like on both Høyre and Frp to get information from parties I do not agree with myself. Media researcher Bente Kalsnes has written the book Falske Nyheter and gives advice on how to avoid being deceived online. Here are her tips to avoid being deceived: Slow down the pace With a fast pace it is easy to be deceived when scrolling on a small screen. Are you provoked or engaged? If the information triggers strong emotions, pay extra attention and think twice before sharing on social media Be aware Be aware of your prejudices, you are often less critical of information you agree with. Is the information reliable? Are reliable sources used? What kind of sources are there? Use vertical reading – do searches on several sites to check the information. Is the source to be trusted? Is there information about the source or is the source anonymous? Then you have to pay extra attention. Pay attention to genre Is it a news story, a commentary, content marketing or satire? It helps you when you have to assess whether you can trust the information. Context In what kind of context does the information appear? Is the information taken out of context? Is the image real, but from a different context? It can give a wrong representation of the current situation. Reverse Image Search Image and video manipulation is easy and difficult to detect. Use reverse image search to check image authenticity. Check the profile Is the social media account authentic? Has it been recently created and does it share content very frequently? It may be an automated bot.
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Håkon (21) was deceived himself – now he warns against conspiracy theories – news Norway – Overview of news from various parts of the country
