Using your writing to be a fact warrior in the age of misinformation
Meghan Vismara Benavides My family celebrates April Fools day with enthusiasm. In this spirit, as a teacher, it was always a goal to fool my middle school students when the day came. I convinced a sixth-grade class that eggs left in vinegar over the weekend were decomposing sheep eyeballs. I convinced a seventh-grade class that small pieces of spaghetti were a rare species of needlefish, wanting to take them home to their families over the weekend. Each time, when I told them the truth, classes would gape at me, open-mouthed, incredulous that I, their teacher, would ever lie to them. I would laugh and then ask them what made the lies believable? What makes someone believe that a piece of spaghetti is really a small fish? How can I tell the difference between a well-constructed lie and objective truth? In today's climate, especially considering recent events, it is now more critical than ever for citizens to be fact warriors against misinformation. The Corona Virus has created a significant space for conspiracy theorists. As humans, it seems impossible that such a momentous event could have happened on its own, that there must be something more to the story. This is why the Corona Virus has so many conspiracies about it: how could a virus from bats have taken over the entire world so absolutely (Embarek, Gupta-Smith, 2020)? Furthermore, with new technologies, it is easier for the average person to create content that looks convincing. It is easier for the average person to spread misinformation through social media. Finally, with social media, there are more places to disseminate all types of information; therefore, misinformation is more easily spread to the masses (Frenkel, et. al, 2020). MIT's study determined that misinformation is 70% more likely to be retweeted than truthful information (Dizikes, 2020). Falsehoods travel ten to twenty times faster than real information on Twitter (Dizikes, 2020). Why? I mean, I would never fall for misinformation, would I? Well, the truth is, you might. Our brains are conditioned to look for and focus on new, exciting information (Enders, Uscinski, 2020). Think about it, are you likely to click on a link to the published, peer-reviewed, double-blind study on social media feed? Or a quiz from Buzzfeed? Our brains are attracted to the novel, the less tedious (Enders, Uscinski, 2020). The truth can be...well...more boring than the myth. The truth is, yours truly included, we could all do a little bit better when it comes to spreading misinformation on the internet. In an academic sense, repeating misinformation can have devastating effects. A brief mention of misinformation can leave your work to question and make you seem less credible as a writer. Citing from a website like Wikipedia or using a social media site to back up your claims can make it seem like you didn't take the necessary time to fully understand the issue. Whether you are writing a paper or posting a new update, here are some practical tips on how can you stop the spread (Oliver, 2020) (Dizikes, 2020):
Suggested fact check sites include: factcheck.org, hoax-slayer.com, politifact.com, snopes.com, truthorfiction.com, urbanlegends.about.com
Dizikes, P. (2020). Study: On Twitter, false news travels faster than true stories. Embarek, P. B., & Gupta-Smith, V. (2020). Episode #21 - COVID-19 - Origins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/media- resources/science-in-5/episode-21---covid-19---origins-of-the-sars-cov-2-virus. https://news.mit.edu/2018/study-twitter-false-news-travels-faster-true-stories-0308 Enders, A. M., & Uscinski, J. E. (2020, April 30). The Coronavirus Conspiracy Boom. https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/04/what-can-coronavirus- tell-us-about-conspiracy-theories/610894/ Frenkel, S., Decker, B., & Alba, D. (2020, May 20). How the 'Plandemic' Movie and Its Falsehoods Spread Widely Online. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/20/technology/plandemic-movie-youtube- Facebook-coronavirus.html Oliver, J. (2020). Coronavirus: Conspiracy Theories. Last Week Tonight. HBO. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0b_eHBZLM6U&t=1145s.
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January 2024
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