- Facebook’s WhatsApp has seen a surge in usage and now the company is capping forwards to deter misinformation
Facebook’s WhatsApp has seen a surge in usage due to the COVID-19 outbreak. With WhatsApp, people around the world are talking to isolated loved ones, doctors, and teachers. However, the increase in usage can also cause certain problems such as forwarded message fatigue.
WhatsApp introduced users to the concept of messages being forwarded many times. Forwarded messages tend to be less personal compared to the typical messages sent on WhatsApp. And today the company introduced a limit so that messages can only be forwarded to one chat at a time.
“As a private messaging service, we’ve taken several steps over the years to help keep conversations intimate. For example, we previously set limits on forwarded messages to constrain virality. At the time, we saw a 25% decrease in total message forwards globally,” wrote a WhatsApp spokesperson in its announcement.
Forwarding is not necessarily a bad thing. Many forwards contain helpful information. But there has also been a significant increase in the amount of forward, which users have told can feel overwhelming and contribute to the spread of misinformation.
“We believe it’s important to slow the spread of these messages down to keep WhatsApp a place for personal conversation,” added the WhatsApp spokesperson. “In addition to this change, we are working directly with NGOs and governments, including the World Health Organization and over 20 national health ministries, to help connect people with accurate information. Together these trusted authorities have sent hundreds of millions of messages directly to people requesting information and advice. You can learn more about these efforts, as well as how to submit potential myths, hoaxes and rumors to fact checking organizations, on our Coronavirus Information Hub.”
Even with the limits in place, it will not prevent misinformation from spreading. So I would highly recommend that you verify any information that you receive in a WhatsApp forward.
