Discerning the Truth in the Digital Space
Pew Research writes about the “post-truth” world we now live in as a series of studies examining The Future of Truth and Misinformation Online. They were inspired by Oxford Dictionaries selecting that term as 2016’s word of the year. Since then, the landscape of misinformation, fake news, alternative facts, disinformation, and more have proliferated. Now more than ever, there is a need to understand how and why to discern the truth in the digital space. Whether we are doing a search for information on our favorite search engine or scrolling through our social media feed, the amount of content we come into contact with that is false, wrong, a blatant lie, and in some cases malicious and sinister has increased exponentially. The ability to be able to recognize the truth, or its opposite, and now what to do about it is the next great literacy our society needs to embrace. Here, we will establish fact from fiction, generally, discuss ways to discern the truth online, learn what to do when untruths are discovered, and end with a note about who untruths hurt the most and why you should work to quell and dispel falsehoods.
First, let’s ensure we have a foundation of truth from which to journey together. What untruths are there out there to encounter? Falsehoods come in many flavors, but we will focus on the common ones folks come in contact with online. Let’s start with “misinformation”. Grammar Girl helps define this term as “false information that’s given without malice”. For example, did you know that Sinbad starred in a great family film called “Shazaam?!” That is sadly not true, and there was no harm meant by sharing that information with you. However, Grammar Girl goes on to define “disinformation” which does have a more negative connotation. “Disinformation”, she writes, is “false information, such as government propaganda, that’s given with the intention to deceive.” An example here would be the content that Russian bots and fake accounts have pushed on various social media platforms with an agenda to divide the citizens of the U.S. on topics in order to seed dissent and negatively impact elections. I would also add to this definition corporate propaganda as well. If you’re not careful, Amazon’s “Thank you Amazon heroes” commercial will distract you from their firing employees who are trying to unionize and improve working conditions. And who can forget the decades of cover up big tobacco engaged in to hide the cancerous effect of their product. Corporations throughout the years have lied to the public in an effort to raise profits, hide working conditions, shift blame for product failures, and the list goes on.
Merriam-Webster defines “fake news” as “unfounded news stories without sources and likely untrue”. Walking past the checkout aisles of your local supermarket in the early 90s would yield a front row seat to the scientific discovery of a lifetime—batboy! Found in the caves of West Virginia, this half human/half bat creature would go on shock and awe thousands. Of course, if you were around during the golden age of batboy, you may be familiar with a popular yet phony example of fake news. dictionary.com explains that “alternative facts” are “a claim that is the opposite of reality or truth”. Have you ever met a flat earther or ever talked with someone who believes the moon landing was faked? It is gracious to consider these conspiracy theory adjacent beliefs as a version of facts. They are not, however people around the world embrace them as their personal truth.
So what happens when you come across content that falls out of the realm of truth? There are many toolkits, worksheets, handouts, and resources from libraries to media literacy organizations which can equip you with ways to spot erroneous information. Here are a few of my favorites: 4 Tips for Spotting a Fake News Story, Sniffing Out Fake News Infographic, 3 Ways to Detect Fake News, How to Spot Fake News, and the Fake News Worksheet.
A quick and easy one to use and remember, however, is the CRAAP test. Pratt Library guides users of the acronym to “look at the content for its currency—the timeliness of the information, relevance—the importance of the information to your needs, authority—the source of the information, accuracy—the reliability and truthfulness of the information, and purpose—the reason the information exists”. A similarity you will find amongst many of these resources is a call towards researching the content you are unsure of. Check the domain name in the URL. You might think you are looking at www.abcnews.com when in fact it’s actually www.abcnews.com.co! Do a reverse image search on sensational images and see where else it has been used or even how old it might actually be. And if you are still unsure after following all of this advice DO. NOT. SHARE. IT. In fact, before you post anything, consider another handy acronym: THINK. Is it True, Helpful, Informative/Illegal/Inspiring, Necessary, or Kind? We have all found ourselves falling for a false story or sharing wrong information, so it is also important to give yourself grace. You won’t always be perfect, but do remain vigilant and diligent. Recognize when you mess up, apologize if appropriate, and strive to do better next time. Or at least make different mistakes.
If you--now ready to tackle untruths across the interwebs--come across others who are posting false information, there are a few ways I recommend handling the situation. If you are dealing with loved ones or followers, people with whom you have a connection and relationship with, consider responding with love and giving them the benefit of the doubt. Some folks do not know they are posting something fake. So start by private or direct messaging them with your reasons and sources that lead you to your conclusion about their post. To share more publicly, in the original post you could also mention that you PM/DM’d the original poster, while sharing your sources as “food for thought”. Lastly, and most importantly, determine how much you want to engage with this situation and then when you reach that boundary, excuse yourself from the conversation.
If you only want to drop the snopes.com article into the comments and carry on with your day, do that and don’t look back. If you are passionate about vaccinations and someone has posted an article that supports anti-vaxxing and you are ready to engage until every person has their shots, go for it and God bless you. On the other hand, if you are dealing with a brand or influencer who comes across your feed with false information, you can unfollow (or continue to not follow) and report or flag the content. Do not amplify it, unless you want to help spread it unintentionally.
I want to bookend this topic with Pew Research. Older citizens of the U.S. are most susceptible to believing and sharing false information online according to a recent study by Pew Research. Not only are older folks more vulnerable to being deceived, but there are also minoritized groups who are more likely to be the subject of disinformation and fake news which can act as a catalyst for injustices carried out against members of such groups. It is crucial for everyone to learn how to discern the truth in the digital space as well as for everyone to understand why. When we can all be on the same page in the same book, as far as facts go anyway, we will have much less to argue about on the internet and more capacity for questing forth together on and offline.
