Is It a Pseudo Account? Essay Example

Increased use of social media to interact with other users online has led to many individuals questioning whether the accounts that they are talking to are profiles of real people or fake accounts meant to scam them. In the digital age, online interaction and transactions cannot be completely avoided, and due to regular cyber security issues such as hacking of personal accounts, users are more skeptical of profiles that they interact with across these platforms. Another significant concern from online interactions is the use of social media platforms to predict user preferences through the use of data analytics, and the following article is meant to clarify how these two entities can come together to enhance user experience. Data analytics is the future of information technology, and understanding a thing or two about it will not only help to clarify the use of a program to identify fake profiles but also allow an individual to maximize their potential on these platforms.

Consider the last time that you retrieved information regarding a product or service on social media platforms and how greatly the authenticity of the profile posting the information was important in making your decision. Now imagine if the profile making the post was a fake one and extensive effort had gone into making it look authentic to an unsuspecting individual. It is likely that the latter experience will result in a fraudulent transaction that would not only affect the current online experience but also eliminate the confidence of ever considering the particular platform for other transactions or even generalized communication. Identifying and weeding out fake profiles is the inception of safe social media platforms used as a way to maximize the virtual interaction spaces that have been created and enable communication across physical boundaries. Without complex tools to analyze data and identify fake users, it is a tough call for regular users to protect themselves from fraudulent accounts or even predators online.

The most common way through with fake profiles pretending to be authentic online is by providing as much believable information as possible. The concept of fake profiles on social media platforms can be related to the spread of fake news, which is also becoming a common occurrence on these platforms leading to trust issues regarding information retrieved on the sites. The image below illustrates how information overload is used to drive fake news across the internet, and this similar concept can be applied to the role of data Analytics in identifying fake profiles online.

(Menczer and Hills 1)

The best way to explain the impact that data Analytics can have in safeguarding people against fake profiles is the use of facial recognition to train machine learning algorithms to identify potentially fraudulent activities and notify anyone who may be compromised by interacting (Awan et al. 6). Relating this back to the example on fake news internet users have a device to a user to recognize authentic news through fact-checking or to retrieve information only from authentic sources; therefore, the same can apply in a personal identification of fake profiles. With the rise of machine learning, the only improvement needed for personal use is user-friendly interfaces that will enable social media users to identify these profiles and avoid scams.

Reflective Analysis

The main rhetorical choices made when constructing the translation include presenting the topic of emerging technology and data analytics as it applies to the public, especially regarding the use of social media platforms. For this reason, the audience changed from experts in information technology to the general public who may be using social media sites and find the information helpful for the day-to-day interactions on the platforms. Modifying the content to the generalized audience required special attention to the language used to not use technical terms but generalized words that can deliver the same information in a simplified manner. The title of the article was also translated to make for a better catchphrase and something that is more relatable to the target population. Asking a question about pseudo accounts on social media is likely to spark interest, considering that social media users regularly interact with fraudulent accounts and fake profiles without a way to determine whether they are authentic.

The other rhetorical context that was also influenced includes the author and the purpose of the genre. Considering as an information technology specialist, the offer will deliver information in a simpler language but also offer expert opinion on the matter. The rationale for considering the role of the author in the magazine article above is to consider the credibility of the experts speaking on the matter and how it influences the perception of the audience. Although the article is meant to provide generalized information, it is important for readers that they trust the expertise of the author for them to relate to the information. Finally, the purpose of the article is to highlight The Rising problem of fake profiles on social media sites and the use of data Analytics to read out these accounts and enhance the user experience for the general public. The initial purpose of the article was to present new technology and program; therefore, this translation offers something for the general public as well as the experts in the field.

Works Cited

Awan, Mazhar Javed, et al. “Fake profile recognition using big data analytics in social media platforms.” Int. J. Comput. Appl. Technol (2021).

Menczer, Filippo, and Thomas Hills. “Information Overload Helps Fake News Spread, and Social Media Knows It.” Scientific American, vol. 323, no. 6, Dec. 2020, https://doi.org/10.1038/scientificamerican1220-54