By Corinne Fitchett, VCU Social Work Intern
News, communication, and media processes have changed dramatically over recent years. Where in past generations information came primarily from sources such as newspapers and word of mouth, it is now easier than ever before to find news online. Young people are increasingly relying on cell phones and electronic devices as gateways to news and information. A simple Google search about any topic can yield thousands of results in just seconds. Now, more than ever, the world is at your fingertips.
When thinking about the information that our fingertips can find, we must be prepared to decipher and understand the impact of the information, specifically untrue information, or misinformation. Misinformation has become so ingrained into the media today that it can be incredibly difficult to sift through and find accurate information, even for those with lots of experience working with media.
As public engagement with digital media increases, scams, fake images and videos, malicious sources, and false information are things that many of us come across daily. With the changing media landscape, some not so great people use online tools to mislead others instead of informing and educating. The motives behind misinformation can include financial reasoning, persuasion of others, or gaining power and control over another person or group. With many people falling victim to misinformation campaigns in today’s time, public trust in journalism and media has been declining.
The spread of misinformation negatively impacts public health by targeting often vulnerable populations and enabling oppression tactics such as the isolation of marginalized communities, for example. Depending on several factors (such as delivery and platform), misinformation can intensify or suppress conflicts by facilitating the spread of hateful messages or by shutting down and distracting from conversations about social issues. The bottom line is that misinformation diminishes people’s ability to hold awareness about critical topics and participate in informed decision making.
Further, the more times that a piece of information is seen, the more likely that viewers will take it seriously and become influenced. Fake content is created to be believable and often to deceive public perceptions of reality, through methods such as appealing to human emotions, using bias and existing beliefs, and encouraging engagement with said content so that more people are likely to see it.
With all these false sources, how do we know that information is real and credible? How can we work to combat misinformation? Great question.
First, we must learn to identify when something we are seeing is not real. It is not always clear if content is questionable. Just because information is on a seemingly trustworthy source, does not mean it is true. Therefore, a good rule of thumb is to not believe everything you read.
To determine if information is credible and real, the best practice is to fact check your information. This can look like finding out if the information is cited with reputable sources and backed up with fact based and/or peer reviewed evidence. There are several fact checking tools and platforms available online that can help people rule out misinformation. Two examples are ClaimBuster (developed by the University of Texas) and WolframAlpha (by Wolfram Language and Mathematica).
Also, to fact check, try to look for the original source of information to confirm its validity. If information seems off, there are no sources to corroborate the information, and the source includes opinion instead of facts, there is a good chance that it is misinformation. To tell if a source is trustworthy, the odds are better if the information is current and relevant, has expert perspectives, is peer-reviewed, and compares with other sources. You can look for a date within an article or its bibliography to determine if information is up to date and you can learn a lot about an author and their credentials (or lack thereof) by looking them up online if not already specified.
After misinformation has been identified, try to report it, if possible, on its respective platform. Many social media sites and other sources have relatively simple processes for reporting misleading information. It is often just a couple of clicks to report, and it can stop the spread of and save others from believing misinformation. And of course, do not share incorrect information.
Additional tips for combating misinformation:
● Get information from diverse perspectives to have a more holistic picture of issues. Relying on one source (even if it is reputable) limits your perspective and increases the odds of receiving and believing false information. One way to ensure that we are exposed to well balanced and comprehensive information is to follow a wide range of people on social media or news sources.
● Be skeptical about sources. Many sources, especially on the news, include sensational and shocking headlines to grab attention and increase viewing. Keep your guard up when viewing information and understand how to spot inaccuracies. It is important to read beyond the headline, as headlines often misrepresent the content of an article.
● Only share correct information with others and call out sources of misinformation. Fact check before sharing!
● Consider the impact of a source’s biases and hidden agenda. Ask yourself: why are they telling me this and what is the intended outcome? The intended outcome should be sharing facts and increasing public awareness. If reasoning points to things like making profits, political initiatives, or influencing emotions, further examine the source for accuracy.
● Be mindful of clickbait, which is online content that is designed specifically to attract as many people as possible. Clickbait techniques include using exaggerated information and trending topics to capitalize on human attention and therefore bring in more viewers.
● Understand that the order of search results online does not align with their credibility. Companies can pay internet platforms such as Google to make their results appear first. Look through many pages and sources.
● Read what other people are thinking, such as the comments on a source. Listen to real people and their life experiences because these can be more impactful and spark more connections than data at times. Voices matter.
The purposes and impact of spreading information should revolve around increasing resources and eliminating injustices. Unfortunately, this is not always what happens. Misinformation is a way of furthering social injustice because of its ability to distort learning and increase prejudice towards marginalized communities. People who fall victim to misinformation, to their detriment, usually end up absorbing skewed information and must make efforts to unlearn incorrect information by replacing it with correct information. Misinformation also deprives the public of reliable resources and further perpetuates the discrimination and isolation of vulnerable communities. It is the job of readers like yourself, advocates at the disAbility Law Center of Virginia, and anyone who cares about other people to combat and work towards eradicating the widespread effects of misinformation.
Overall, quality sources are verifiable, unbiased, fair, credible, and backed up with fact. Spotting misinformation is undoubtedly tricky, but with the right skills and a keen eye, we can ensure that all the information we are spreading is going to uplift and empower others.
Cori Fitchett (they/them) is a Master of Social Work student at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) who has career passions for working with the intersectional topic areas of disability and domestic violence. Cori was an intern at dLCV and worked on various projects during their time at dLCV including the psychiatric hospital Critical Incident Report to the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS), Brain Injury resource sheets, Adult Protective Services (APS) reports, research and presenting on Trauma Informed Care, amongst many other things. Cori says that the biggest thing they learned during their time at dLCV was about their own strengths as a social worker and how these will carry out in their career path. Outside of VCU, Cori works as a Behavioral Therapist in the community at a local nonprofit agency and enjoys dancing, artwork, community building, and being outside.
Cori also has a cat and will talk about her all day long, if given the chance.
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