Belgians' trust in social media decreasing rapidly

BRUSSELS, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Less than 20 percent of Belgians said they trust and believe in social media, a figure almost twice as less compared to five years ago, according to a recent opinion poll by Whyte in Belgium.

The survey also shows that Belgians maintain a high level of trust in traditional media: in particular, the radio (69.4 percent), newspapers (55 percent) and television (55.2 percent).

This suggests that, to a lesser or greater extent, the Belgian traditional media will continue to temporarily fend off the ever-expanding universe of digital media.

In the aftermath of the devastating March 2016 terror attacks in Brussels, which killed 32 people and wounded more than 300 others, incidents of violence sparked off on social networks is raising alarm bells about the city's internal security and the increasing reliance of social media as a platform to organize illegal activity.

Indeed, social networks have played an integral part in driving some of the recent incidents in Brussels. For example, on Jan. 5, a Belgian court accused offender Jelali D. de Benlabel for inciting people to riot online through Facebook.

There was another case on Nov. 14 last year, in which fans and police clashed violently on the streets of central Brussels after a French blogger urged his fans through social network to attend an illegal shooting of a video clip.

In addition, owing to the fact that social media lacks a proper system of surveillance, some social media platforms have become a vital channel for terrorist organizations to promote extremist ideas and recruit new members.

In December 2016, for example, the Belgian police initiated a major crackdown against an extremist branch of ISIS for attempting to recruit and motivate a dozen or so Belgian minors to carry out terrorist attacks around the city.

Although social media makes news and information readily accessible at the click of a mouse, it has become increasingly difficult to discern facts from fiction, leading to the proliferation of fake rumors and disinformation.

In an interview with Xinhua News Agency, Mr. Goedseels, head of White Public Relations, painted a different picture as to why Belgians lack trust in social media: he believes Belgium has three official languages with serious north-south divisions, leading to a strong critical thinking among the public. Enditem