Misinformation is defined as false or misleading information. While the digital age is beneficial in countless ways, it is also a breeding ground for misinformation. Shortly after the 2016 U.S. elections, a study was done by Pew Research Center. Through this study, it was found that 64% of adults understand that fake news causes great amounts of confusion while 23% said they had shared misleading political stories themselves, sometimes on purpose. This truly shows the significance of misinformation in today’s society and the impacts it can have on our daily lives. Therefore, in today’s blog, I wanted to cover the relevance of misinformation in today’s society and share a few tips to help reduce this problem!
Relevance
Everyday, there are countless issues and events that are covered by news outlets, radio stations and other forms of media. As consumers, the stories and perspectives that are shared within this media influence us in countless ways. By consuming different forms of media, our perspective, attitude and interactions regarding the issue are affected. Therefore, finding trustworthy, accurate information is crucial to truly understand a given issue before providing our own input on it.
Causes
The growing rate of misinformation can be credited to several things.
- First of all, fake news could come from any source on the internet and be spread across different platforms. This can allow it to travel fast and influence many individuals.
- Oftentimes, the content may seem reliable as if it has come from an established news outlet. Not only does this make individuals more likely to believe the information provided, but it also makes them more likely to share with others in their lives.
- Advancing technology. Today’s age enables us to do countless incredible things with a simple touch of a screen. However, this also allows media platforms to use technology to spread misinformation. For example, through the use of deep fakes. This is the action of using artificial intelligence (AI) to create images of fake events. Their ostensible “realness” makes them a source of great misinformation.
- Misinformation often contains bits of the truth. These bits of truth are then strung together to create a false or misleading story. By doing so, many individuals can be misled and believe the misleading or bias perspective that may be portrayed.
- Social media, as well as the large number of social media users heighten the problem by spreading and sharing information. Oftentimes, individuals on social media jump on the bandwagon and share posts that may contain misleading information.
While these weren’t all of the reasons that misinformation is spreading like wildfire, these are a number of causes.
Tips
- Conduct your own research. When reading about issues and conflicts happening in the world, conduct your own research. Rather than relying solely on social media, take the time to get a clear and true understanding of the event from established news sources.
- Minimize confirmation bias. This type of bias occurs when individuals are more likely to believe information that only enforces what they already believe. Our own bias can often make us extremely susceptible to misinformation. Therefore, when looking at current events and news stories, look at a variety of stories that provide a multitude of perspectives. While this may be hard, be aware of your confirmation bias and overcome it!
- Check the source. Today, there are countless bias and fact checkers on the internet. Using these tools and our own judgement, we can get a sense of whether or not the source is trustworthy. “Fakey” is a game that you can try playing to understand how susceptible you truly are to fake news and misinformation.
- Take a second. Before sharing or posting stories on your social media, take a moment to consider whether what you are sharing is true and factual. Do you really want to share this story? Why?
- Keep tabs on your emotions. Oftentimes, news outlets and other forms of media prey on our emotions, particularly anger and fear. A recent study found that individuals were more likely to share misinformation when they were viewing social media with a more emotional mindset, rather than those who were not.
- Take a stand against misinformation. While this last one may seem hard, it is important that you point out when a source is spreading misinformation. By doing so, you inform others, encourage them to study it themselves and prevent it from being spread to others.
That’s it! I truly hope that this blog helped encourage you to take a moment to recognize misinformation. While today’s digital age has opened up countless doors, it has also allowed for the growth of misinformation. However, recognizing and preventing it from being spread is vital for each one us to do!