Misinformation is getting harder to spot, and social media and Artificial Intelligence are only making it harder.
The one in five Americans who consume their daily news on social media are less likely to get the facts right, a 2020 study from the Pew Research Center found. These consumers tend to be younger, are less likely to be white, and have lower levels of education. Those aged 65 and older are also particularly vulnerable, and those with strong ideologies.
By understanding misinformation and how it spreads, we can help protect ourselves and our loved ones from being deceived.
What Are the Different Types of Misinformation?
Misinformation is defined as false or inaccurate information. Not everyone who spreads misinformation intends to cause harm. Many well-meaning people want to discuss important issues with their social circles, unaware they’ve been misinformed of the facts. In the Vietnamese community, these discussions often take place on Facebook and other digital platforms, or in person at nail salons, churches, temples, work environments, community centers, or senior gatherings.
Disinformation is misinformation that is deliberately meant to mislead, often intending to spark fear or suspicion among viewers. It can appear deceptively on social media through biased or inaccurate news articles (also referred to as “fake news”), propaganda posters, jokes, memes, or political deepfakes.
Political Deepfakes are highly realistic videos, photos, or audio recordings that have been manipulated with Artificial Intelligence to promote false narratives, incite civil unrest, influence public perception, or suppress voter turnout.
Hate Speech is abusive content that targets certain groups of people using inflammatory, exaggerated statements to express prejudice.
Spam is a large volume of unsolicited information intended to overwhelm its recipients. In the Vietnamese community, spam can often appear through emails, instant messages, or in the form of physical mail.
Why Do People Believe Misinformation?
People tend to be more vulnerable to misinformation than they think, and there are many underlying psychological reasons as to why that is.
Confirmation Bias is the subliminal tendency to seek out information that confirms our pre-existing beliefs while ignoring information from the other side. For example, someone with a strong political ideology may only read articles from news outlets that are biased toward their values.
The Echo Chamber Effect occurs when people are exposed to the same viewpoints and opinions over and over, rather than a healthy balance of perspectives. For example, someone’s online community may come primarily from a Facebook group for people who share the same belief.
The Framing Effect is when people draw conclusions based on how the information is presented rather than the facts. For example, more of the respondents in a 2017 poll said they approve of the Affordable Care Act than Obamacare—even though they are the same thing—because of the latter’s reference to former President Barack Obama.
What Are Some Tools to Spot Misinformation?
It is always helpful to be wary of social media content, understand the mechanisms behind bias, and develop a sense for when something seems suspicious.
Many people on the Internet seek to target and manipulate viewers into thinking and feeling a certain way about a subject, Lam Thuy Vo explains for Documented. If you get the sense that the information you’re consuming is meant to influence your perspective, examine it a little closer.
The SIFT method is an evaluation strategy developed by digital literacy expert Mike Caulfield to help people determine whether they can trust what they see online. Each letter in SIFT corresponds to a different step:
S – STOP!
Stop and slow down before you read or share an article or video, especially if it makes you feel emotional.
Consider the headline. How does it make you feel? Many headlines are written to grab your attention and generate the most clicks possible. They may exaggerate details to invoke an emotional response.
Ask yourself the same about the information presented. Does the picture, video, or article make you feel scared or outraged? Does the story blame a specific group of people for causing an event?
Know the difference between a fact and an opinion. A fact is a statement that can be proven true or false. An opinion is an interpretation of a fact. If an article is trying to inspire strong emotions in you, it is more likely to be an opinion.
I – Investigate the Source
Investigate the author and the source publishing the information, using outside sources like Google and Wikipedia.
Consider these questions:
- What is their mission?
- Do they have vested interests, and would these interests impact their perspective?
- Do they have the authority or expertise to speak about this topic?
- What have they said about this topic before?
Consider the URL as well. Many fake news sites may have URLs that look deceptively close to an authentic website, like “www.cnncom.com” instead of “www.cnn.com.”
Official government organizations will have URLs that end in “.gov.” CanIVote.org is a website from the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) and links directly to official state election websites and trusted resources.
F – Find Better Coverage
Find other coverage about the topic from trusted sources and fact-checking services to see if they support or dispute the original claim.
Google keywords in the story to see if any other media outlets have picked it up or verified its truthfulness. If no other source can confirm the information, it is likely to be fake or unreliable.
If you need help, ask a relative, loved one, or friend you know in real life who is good at understanding the Internet to do some research. And when you find a source or fact-checking service you can trust, be sure to save it for future use.
Some reputable fact-checking services include:
T – Trace Content to its Original Context
Trace the source of all claims, quotes, and media to their original context.
If an article references a poll or research study, click through any links or bibliography citations to evaluate whether the original findings support this new conclusion.
If someone is directly quoted, research that person to evaluate their agenda, and to find the original context in which they spoke.
For photos, Google’s reverse image search can sometimes be used to track the original source or to see if the image has been altered.
