Truth in the Age of Misinformation, Disinformation and Fake-News
Misinformation, disinformation and fake-news
Misinformation, disinformation and fake-news have been plaguing are world since the birth of language and the written word. Wherever there is information, someone will misuse that information for their own purposes.
Remember the game telephone? It is an excellent example of how information spreads and how it can be distorted and warped until it barely resembles the original words.
Moreover, misinformation, disinformation and fake-news usually increases around major world events like elections, summits, wars etc.
In this website, you will learn about the similarities and differences between misinformation, disinformation and fake-news, how to identify the different types of information at a systematic level, what you can do to educate yourself against and how to actively combat the spread of the misinformation, disinformation and fake-news.
(This website works as an expanded version of the handout)
Information
Merriam-Webster defines information as “knowledge obtained from investigation, study or instruction.” Simply, information is stuff. Its random tidbits you find in books, gain from talking to people or after scouring the internet for hours.
Types of Information:
Factual: information that solely deals with facts. For example, the Earth orbits the sun
Analytical: the interpretation of factual information. What does the factual information mean? What does it imply? Type of information researcher generate in their studies. For example, According XX research, the Earth orbits the sun once every 365.256 years.
Subjective: information from only one point of view. Opinions are always subjective. For example, I believe Earth is the coolest planet.
Objective: information that is understood from multiple viewpoints and presents all sides of an argument. For example, we know the Earth orbits the sun because of XX research.
Misinformation
Canadian Centre for Cyber Security defines misinformation as “false information that is not intended to cause harm.”Misinformation can appear to be harmless but it is the most common way inaccurate information is spread. People hear something from their friends and without fact checking, they repeat it to another person and like the game of telephone, information gets warped and passed on. Southwell, Thorson and Sheble write misinformation might led people to hold “misperceptions (or false beliefs) and that these misperceptions, especially when they occur among mass audiences, may have downstream consequences for health, social harmony, and political life.”Misinformation can be something as simple as a white lie. Social media has allowed the spread of misinformation to amplified and has become a permanent fixture on social media platforms. On Twitter/X, with a click of a button, a person can retweet a post and their entire following can see it. It is hard to avoid it. Additionally, algorithms often push misinformation onto people’s ‘for you pages’ and oftentimes, people don’t know they are listening or watching content riddled with misinformation. Social media is notorious for creating echo chambers where people isolate themselves in a community with people who share similar opinions.
Disinformation
Definition: disinformation “refers to false information that is intended to manipulate, cause damage and guide people, organizations and countries in the wrong direction.” - Purposefully spreading false information about anything would be considered disinformation.Standford Report writes, “while propaganda and disinformation have long been used by malign actors to intentionally mislead and manipulate the public, disinformation online can spread fast and far across networks anonymously, cheaply and efficiently, making it a challenging problem to address.” (What to know about disinformation and how to address it | Stanford Report) Disinformation is an extremely widespread issue that has permeated every aspect of society both offline and online. In today’s world, it is difficult to distinguish regular information and disinformation because of the way it has been written or presented. Bad actors have cleverly disguised disinformation as regular information by creating truth sandwiches where they add a kernel of truth in between the pieces of disinformation to make it appear more truthful.
Fake-news
University of Michigan defines fake news as “those news stories that are false: the story itself is fabricated with no verifiable facts, sources or quotes” and is “intentionally designed to mislead the reader.”Fake news is simply news wearing a mask. It can be exaggerated claims, clickbait or simply fake information intended to sway public opinion. It has been a prevalent part of society since time immemorial. As long as there has been the idea of “news” there has been fake news running parallel. There isn’t an exact origin but dates to at least Ancient Greece.Like misinformation and disinformation, fake news has found a home in the online world. Social media is teeming with fake news and unfortunately, it is stuck there. Social media has created the perfect environment to foster and nurture fake news, allowing it to rapidly spread with no way of reigning it in. In article by MIT news, author Peter Dizikes quotes Sinan Aral who stated, “we found that falsehood diffuses significantly father, faster, deeper, and more broadly that the truth, in all categories of information, and in many cases by an order of magnitude.”
Examples of Misinformation
Flat Earth
A (disproven and archaic) theory that claims the Earth is flat. Believers of the theory claim the sun and moon are the same size and orbit the North Pole. They believe Antartica is an inpenetrable ice wall that surrounds the disk and prevents people from "falling off."Illuminati
A conspiracy theory that claimed celebrities, pollitical leaders and the ultra-rich, like Beyonce and Jay Z were part of a secret group who were intent on taking over the world. The triangle shape and the all-seeing eye were heavily associated with the illuminati.Terryology
Actor Terrence Howard claimed 1 x 1 = 2, stating in the Rolling Stone article titled, "Terence Howard's Dangerous Mind," ""If one times one equals one that means that two is of no value because one times itself has no effect. One times one equals two because the square root of four is two, so what's the square root of two? Should be one, but we're told it's two, and that cannot be.""
Identifying Misinformation
Does it provoke an emotional response? – Generally, anger, disgust or fear. Intense negative emotions
Does it make a bold statement on a controversial issue? – check the language used in the headline/article. Does it use power words or emotional words?
Is it an extraordinary claim? – believability – can you believe it?
Does it contain clickbait? – clickbait refers to text or thumbnail used to catch the viewer’s attention and mislead them into viewing/engaging with the content. Normally, clickbait refers to videos where creators intentionally use misinformation to incite viewers into clicking on their videos. It is then revealed, the content of the video is loosely related to the thumbnail/title.
Does it use small pieces of valid/true information that are exaggerated to distorted? – often there is a kernel of truth within misinformation but is grossly exaggerated.
Who said it? – was it from a credible source? Can you trace its origin?
Does it confirm you biases? - Confirmation bias is when you actively seek out information to confirm pre-conceived ideas.
Stopping the Spread of Misinformation
Don’t be a passive consumer – trust your instincts
Know why misinformation exists
Be curious, cautious and fact check – take you time when viewing information, find the original sources and cross-reference.
AI IS NOT A RELIABLE SOURCE OF INFORMATION
Identifying Disinformation
Does it provoke an emotional response? – Generally, anger, disgust or fear. Intense negative emotions
Does it make a bold statement on a controversial issue? – check the language used in the headline/article. Does it use power words or emotional words?
Is it an extraordinary claim? – believability – can you believe it?
Does it contain clickbait? – clickbait refers to text or thumbnail used to catch the viewer’s attention and mislead them into viewing/engaging with the content. Normally, clickbait refers to videos where creators intentionally use misinformation to incite viewers into clicking on their videos. It is then revealed, the content of the video is loosely related to the thumbnail/title.
Does it use small pieces of valid/true information that are exaggerated to distorted? – often there is a kernel of truth within misinformation but is grossly exaggerated.
Who said it? – was it from a credible source? Can you trace its origin?
Does it confirm you biases? - Confirmation bias is when you actively seek out information to confirm pre-conceived ideas.
Stopping the Spread of Disinformation
Don’t be a passive consumer – trust your instincts
Know why misinformation exists
Be curious, cautious and fact check – take you time when viewing information, find the original sources and cross-reference.
AI IS NOT A RELIABLE SOURCE OF INFORMATION