Fake News Is Everywhere: Beware!
Social media has made it possible for us/to obtain information for free. But there is a pitfall:/there’s a lot of fake news,/or misinformation,/on social media. How can we cope with it?
In March 2020,/the Covid-19 epidemic was just beginning. In front of a supermarket in Tokyo,/more than 20 people were lined up/waiting for the store to open. Paper products such as toilet paper and tissues/sold out in five minutes.
During that week,/there were over 200,000 Twitter posts/mentioning the words “toilet paper,”/“out of stock” and “shortage.” People thought protective masks were made of paper/and worried that the rush to make masks/would take up Japan’s entire wood supply. Images of empty store shelves appeared on TV/and people were passing on the message:/“Following the shortage of sanitizers and masks,/toilet paper is running out.”
Finally,/one shop owner put up a sign reading,/“The rumor that there will be shortages of paper products/is a lie.”
That shop owner was correct:/The rumor was fake news. With a quick search on the Internet,/anyone could have found a message/from the Japan Paper Association/that there was no shortage of toilet paper.
How could the idea of a shortage/have spread to so many people so quickly? The answer:/It spread very quickly throughout the country/on social media.
Fake news is not a 21st-century phenomenon,/nor is it always dangerous.
Sometimes fake news/is the result of misunderstanding,/like the toilet paper scare of 2020. Other times,/it is a simple mistake,/like the day in 1874/when a newspaper reported/that America’s beloved author,/Mark Twain,/had died. Everyone was saddened,/except Mark Twain,/who was perfectly fine and traveling in Europe. Twain sent a telegram:/“The reports of my death/have been greatly exaggerated.”
However,/sometimes false news is extremely dangerous. Consider the Nazi propaganda/(official government fake news)/that controlled the thinking of millions of Germans in the 1930s/and contributed to the massacre of millions of Jews.
Up until the 21st century,/fake news spread from person to person/or over radio and TV. But in the current century,/it spreads faster and farther/and much more dangerously on social media. In fact,/millions of people are exposed/to extremely destructive false information on the Internet.
It is a matter of the greatest importance to have a discerning mind/in order to identify and reject fake news. But how should we proceed?
One way to control fake news/is for social media sites to police themselves. Government regulation may also be necessary. But in the end,/it is up to each one of us,/as individuals,/to recognize fake news/and to stop passing it along. Here are some strategies you can use/to evaluate what you see and read.
First,/admit that you don’t understand everything. The world is complex,/and issues like politics,/economics,/and medicine/are complicated. Don’t be ashamed/if you don’t know everything,/and don’t expect simple answers. The recognition of ignorance is the beginning of wisdom. The Greek philosopher Socrates said,/“The only thing I know for sure/is that I know nothing for sure.” Don’t accept the first, simple explanation you hear. Find out what experts are saying.
Second,/admit that you probably have some biases and prejudices. Challenge what you read and hear/by asking yourself if you agree or disagree on a “gut level.” If you immediately accept or reject an idea,/without really thinking,/think again. We tend to accept without question/whatever conforms to the ideas and attitudes we began to develop/when we were children. Psychologists call this “confirmation bias”:/the tendency to believe things/that support what we have always believed/and to reject,/without much thought,/anything that is different. Be critical of your ideas and attitudes. Learn to recognize your own biases. When you read or hear something/that your “gut” immediately accepts or rejects,/check it out with a reliable source.
Third,/check the source. To know if a piece of information is true or not,/we need to know where it comes from. The most reliable news/will come from edited and fact-checked sources:/newspapers,/TV stations,/and digital platforms that list their editors,/publish signed articles,/and name their sources.
Be cautious about news articles that say:/“Lots of people believe…,”/“Experts agree that…,”/“An anonymous insider said….” These are trick words/to get you to bypass your critical thinking/and go with your “gut.” Don’t be taken in.
Finally,/don’t get caught up in feedback networks/that reward you with “likes” and “shares.” You are more likely to send on information that appeals to your biases/than to send on the truth,/especially if the fake information is more sensational/than the plain truth. You get positive feedback/and are encouraged to send on more fake news/in the future. Social media often rewards you more for sending on fake news/than for sending on the truth.
The Internet brings us all sorts of information,/ideas,/and opinions. Media companies and the government/have an obligation to protect us from fake news. In the end,/however,/everything depends upon each one of us becoming more discerning and critical/in the way we manage information.
Remember,/you are surrounded by massive amounts of information,/and more than a little of it is fake news. Protect yourself,/your family,/your community,/and your country. Think twice before you click “Like.” Think thrice before you click “Share.”
Social media has made it possible for us/to obtain information for free. But there is a pitfall:/there’s a lot of fake news,/or misinformation,/on social media. How can we cope with it?
In March 2020,/the Covid-19 epidemic was just beginning. In front of a supermarket in Tokyo,/more than 20 people were lined up/waiting for the store to open. Paper products such as toilet paper and tissues/sold out in five minutes.
During that week,/there were over 200,000 Twitter posts/mentioning the words “toilet paper,”/“out of stock” and “shortage.” People thought protective masks were made of paper/and worried that the rush to make masks/would take up Japan’s entire wood supply. Images of empty store shelves appeared on TV/and people were passing on the message:/“Following the shortage of sanitizers and masks,/toilet paper is running out.”
Finally,/one shop owner put up a sign reading,/“The rumor that there will be shortages of paper products/is a lie.”
That shop owner was correct:/The rumor was fake news. With a quick search on the Internet,/anyone could have found a message/from the Japan Paper Association/that there was no shortage of toilet paper.
How could the idea of a shortage/have spread to so many people so quickly? The answer:/It spread very quickly throughout the country/on social media.
Fake news is not a 21st-century phenomenon,/nor is it always dangerous.
Sometimes fake news/is the result of misunderstanding,/like the toilet paper scare of 2020. Other times,/it is a simple mistake,/like the day in 1874/when a newspaper reported/that America’s beloved author,/Mark Twain,/had died. Everyone was saddened,/except Mark Twain,/who was perfectly fine and traveling in Europe. Twain sent a telegram:/“The reports of my death/have been greatly exaggerated.”
However,/sometimes false news is extremely dangerous. Consider the Nazi propaganda/(official government fake news)/that controlled the thinking of millions of Germans in the 1930s/and contributed to the massacre of millions of Jews.
Up until the 21st century,/fake news spread from person to person/or over radio and TV. But in the current century,/it spreads faster and farther/and much more dangerously on social media. In fact,/millions of people are exposed/to extremely destructive false information on the Internet.
It is a matter of the greatest importance to have a discerning mind/in order to identify and reject fake news. But how should we proceed?
One way to control fake news/is for social media sites to police themselves. Government regulation may also be necessary. But in the end,/it is up to each one of us,/as individuals,/to recognize fake news/and to stop passing it along. Here are some strategies you can use/to evaluate what you see and read.
First,/admit that you don’t understand everything. The world is complex,/and issues like politics,/economics,/and medicine/are complicated. Don’t be ashamed/if you don’t know everything,/and don’t expect simple answers. The recognition of ignorance is the beginning of wisdom. The Greek philosopher Socrates said,/“The only thing I know for sure/is that I know nothing for sure.” Don’t accept the first, simple explanation you hear. Find out what experts are saying.
Second,/admit that you probably have some biases and prejudices. Challenge what you read and hear/by asking yourself if you agree or disagree on a “gut level.” If you immediately accept or reject an idea,/without really thinking,/think again. We tend to accept without question/whatever conforms to the ideas and attitudes we began to develop/when we were children. Psychologists call this “confirmation bias”:/the tendency to believe things/that support what we have always believed/and to reject,/without much thought,/anything that is different. Be critical of your ideas and attitudes. Learn to recognize your own biases. When you read or hear something/that your “gut” immediately accepts or rejects,/check it out with a reliable source.
Third,/check the source. To know if a piece of information is true or not,/we need to know where it comes from. The most reliable news/will come from edited and fact-checked sources:/newspapers,/TV stations,/and digital platforms that list their editors,/publish signed articles,/and name their sources.
Be cautious about news articles that say:/“Lots of people believe…,”/“Experts agree that…,”/“An anonymous insider said….” These are trick words/to get you to bypass your critical thinking/and go with your “gut.” Don’t be taken in.
Finally,/don’t get caught up in feedback networks/that reward you with “likes” and “shares.” You are more likely to send on information that appeals to your biases/than to send on the truth,/especially if the fake information is more sensational/than the plain truth. You get positive feedback/and are encouraged to send on more fake news/in the future. Social media often rewards you more for sending on fake news/than for sending on the truth.
The Internet brings us all sorts of information,/ideas,/and opinions. Media companies and the government/have an obligation to protect us from fake news. In the end,/however,/everything depends upon each one of us becoming more discerning and critical/in the way we manage information.
Remember,/you are surrounded by massive amounts of information,/and more than a little of it is fake news. Protect yourself,/your family,/your community,/and your country. Think twice before you click “Like.” Think thrice before you click “Share.”