Most social media users have clicked the "share" button at least once without thinking about the consequences. A funny video, an emotional story, an urgent message, or seemingly important news – all of this can spread across thousands of pages and chats in just a few minutes. However, not everyone considers that sometimes a simple repost can become part of a large-scale campaign to spread misinformation or even help scammers find new victims.
Ефект репосту
Experts note: today, a significant portion of fakes is spread not through specially created bot farms, but thanks to ordinary users. People forward messages to friends, post them in groups, or share them on their own pages, driven by the desire to warn others or share important information.
Messages with calls to "share as much as possible," "send to all acquaintances," or "help by spreading the word" are particularly dangerous. It is often on emotions that information manipulations are built. When a person feels fear, outrage, or sympathy, they are less likely to verify the accuracy of the information and more likely to hit the repost button.
This mechanism is also actively used by scammers. For example, fake giveaways, false messages about financial assistance, counterfeit charity drives, or fake job postings often gain popularity precisely due to active sharing by users. The more people see such a post, the more potential victims the perpetrators receive.
The head of the Cybercrime Prevention Department in the Odesa region of the Cyber Police of Ukraine, Anatoliy Fil, emphasizes:
“Before making a repost or forwarding a message, it is worth spending a few minutes to verify the information. Even if a person acts with good intentions, spreading unverified information can help scammers or authors of disinformation campaigns achieve their goals. Every user is responsible for the content they share.”
To avoid becoming a participant in the spread of fakes, experts recommend following simple rules:
check the source of information;
pay attention to the publication date;
look for confirmation in reputable media;
do not trust messages that evoke strong emotions and call for immediate sharing;
verify the authenticity of charity drives and financial offers.
It is important to remember that social media algorithms work on the principle of activity. Every comment, like, or repost helps the platform spread content among new users. That is why even one interaction can significantly increase the audience of a questionable post.
To combat misinformation, propaganda, and other dangerous content, a social project BRAMA operates in Ukraine, created by volunteers with the support of the cyber police. Its participants help identify resources that spread harmful content and report them through official complaint mechanisms on digital platforms.
Проєкт "BRAMA"
In addition, the project regularly publishes materials on media literacy and cyber hygiene, which help users critically assess information and recognize manipulations.
In the modern information environment, responsibility begins with a simple question: “Am I sure this information is true?”. Sometimes, the answer to this question determines whether a fake stops at one page or receives thousands of new views due to another repost.
