Misinformation And Disinformation: Why Do We Fall For It, And What Can We Do?

 

Introduction 

Like many children, I asked a lot of questions growing up.  My lucky parents received the brunt of it.  But if they were unavailable, or didn't know the answer, my next go-to source was the family encyclopedia set.  

 

These days we have the internet.  It can provide a wealth of knowledge,  social connections, shopping, entertainment, and so much more.  Unfortunately, it can also provide a lot of misinformation and disinformation.  What is the difference between the two?  How can we tell if information is true or not? 

 

Misinformation 

I tend not to believe everything I hear.  It’s not that I think everyone is lying or uninformed.  I just know from experience that people tend to get things wrong.  Myself included.   

 

We're all biased to some extent, as well as limited by our own knowledge and experiences. This can lead us to make assumptions and draw conclusions that simply aren't true. 

 

It's like the Telephone Game.  Someone would whisper a word or phrase to the person next to them, who would then pass it on down the line.  The last person then says it aloud.  By the end of the game, the final word/phrase usually bears no resemblance to the original one.   

 

This is misinformation.  We didn't mess up the phrase on purpose.  We thought we had it right (or close to it) when we passed it on.  We didn't mean any harm. 

 

Misinformation often happens when a news story is first breaking and we don't have all the facts yet.  We make assumptions that align with our own beliefs.  Or we share information that we believe to be true (it sounds plausible), but we haven't thoroughly checked it out.   

 

A 2018 study of Twitter (now X) showed that false information can spread faster than accurate information.  For example a social media post about a celebrity can be shared repeatedly before the information can be debunked as a rumor, gossip, or a joke.  But by then it's old news and nobody cares about the truth. 

 

Disinformation 

Unlike misinformation, disinformation is false information that is deliberately spread for malicious intent.  It is meant to mislead others and manipulate the truth and facts.  The word is derived from the Russian word dezinformacija. The Russian government first started using disinformation as a political tactic in 1923 (misinformation and disinformation). 

 

Disinformation can take the form of conspiracy theories, as well as manipulated images, videos or audio clips.  While the original intent is to cause harm, not everyone who spreads false information has bad intentions. They might be doing it unwittingly.  It could happen to anyone.   

 

Post-Truth Society 

In the old days (prior to the internet and social media) people often relied on trusted sources for their information, like their local newspaper, radio station or newscaster.  Or a national broadcaster like Walter Cronkite. 

 

Today, people are reluctant to pay for trusted news subscriptions, with their fact-based articles, when there are so many free sources available.  As a consequence, many local news outlets are having to reduce their workforce or shut down.  Many have been bought out by corporations with their own agendas. 

 

In today's hyper-networked media environment, the spread of mis- and disinformation has accelerated.  Through our mobile devices, we have access to so many news sources.  And the information travels so fast it's hard to track the claims to their original source, or verify if it's even true or not.   

 

In our "post-truth" society, objective facts have become less influential in shaping public opinion than emotions and personal beliefs.  This can affect our judgment.   

 

Why Do We Fall For It? 

Below are some reasons why people fall into the trap of perpetuating mis- and disinformation: 

• Research shows that people latch on to information that matches their existing worldview or beliefs.  Even if the information isn't true.   
• When media platforms try to debunk mis- or disinformation, they sometimes just end up amplifying it.   
• Artificial intelligence (AI) is now making it even easier to spread mis- and disinformation.   
• Sometimes a platform's algorithm will promote false narratives just to keep you engaged. 
• People might spread mis- or disinformation to connect with others.  To get likes and clicks in a positive feedback loop.   

What Can We Do? 

It can seem like we're facing an overwhelming avalanche of false information that is only getting worse.  Is there anything we can do to counteract it?  

 

Currently media literacy programs are taking place in schools to teach people at a young age to identify mis- and disinformation.  But adults can learn too.  Below is a media literacy checklist: 

• When you see information presented as fact online, always pause to check its veracity.  Are the sources all anonymous?  Who benefits from the story?  Try to go to the original source (e.g. article, video) and see for yourself.  
• If you are not sure whether the information you are seeing is true, look for trusted leaders and national or local news sources to see whether they are reporting or sharing the same information.  Also use fact-checking sites like Snopes, PolitiFact and News Literacy Project. 
• Check the author by doing a quick search to validate his or her credibility and existence. This is especially important when consuming information on X, because the platform made it more difficult to verify individual profiles. 
• If you're still not sure, do not engage or share the content until you receive more information to verify the claim. (Be part of the solution, not part of the problem.) 

When dealing with someone in person who is spreading possible mis- or disinformation, don't tune them out, or criticize or factcheck them (which only makes them dig in deeper).   

 

Instead politely engage with them and ask questions.  For instance, "That's interesting, can you give me an example of that?"  (How to avoid falling for misinformation, AI images on social media) 

 

Just because you can see the inconsistencies of what they're saying, doesn’t mean they can.  Plant the seed of doubt and give them something to think about. 

 

“A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting its boots on.” 

Sometimes attributed to Mark Twain in 1919 (but he died in 1910).  Misinformation.