More and more people are relying on social media as their source of information. [Photo|Courtesy]
The ugly side of social media in Kenya has reared its head again as some people on social media generated false information concerning the girls who died in the Saturday morning fire at Moi Girls' High school Nairobi.
The post alleges that the DNA tests conducted on the departed girls to identify their bodies for release to their respective kins for burial revealed that four out of the eight girls' DNA samples did not match that of their fathers. The author of the post goes ahead to add a speculative sinister question asking his/her readership whether they think that Nairobi hospital's facilities could be faulty.
Some Kenyans on social media swallowed the bait and started forwarding the message to more unsuspecting social media users. This is despite the doctors' report that the DNA results shall not be out until two to three weeks from the time of taking the DNA tests.
More and more people are relying on social media as their source of information. It is therefore important that Kenyans should be careful not to fall for fake news. It is with no doubt that the information like the one above causes untold pain and anguish to the bereaved families.
It is therefore important for social media users to use the model below to verify the credibility of the truth behind the news they get on social media. Social media users should also be careful before forwarding any other message they get on social media.