High Point Students Don't Actually go to Class, They Just Party- Blog #9

I'm sure the headline of this article was intriguing and grabbed your attention. Well, it was just a form of everyday misinformation. Misinformation and disinformation are found all over the internet in our everyday lives. Social media has grown so much, to the point, that it is almost impossible to always spot it. News is continually flowing to our fingertips through different online networks. Intriguing headlines are always shoved into our faces and without even thinking we begin to share this information regarding knowing where and who it came from. This sharing of information without knowing actual facts is how misinformation and disinformation are spread. It is important to understand what these forms of information are and how to spot them. 

First, it is important to understand the difference between misinformation and disinformation. Misinformation is any form of false information that is spread across the internet regardless of if it has the intent to harm or deceive consumers. Disinformation falls under the umbrella of misinformation and is created in order to deliberately be harmful or deceptive. 

Of course, misinformation and disinformation being shared on various platforms are very harmful to society as a whole. Depending on the severity of the article or news post, spreading false information can lead to unnecessary fear, wrong interpretations of people around them, and altogether mislead society. Let’s pretend someone has decided to go online and make a post claiming that High Point University students never actually go to class and their professors are paid off to give good grades while the students just party all day. Let’s say this goes viral and has thousands of shares online. This would not only be completely false information but it would also ruin the reputation of the university by misleading society. Parents would be angry and new perspective students would no longer be interested in applying.

Click this image to open a real-world example of misinformation about

 peanut butter cups that was shared over 270,000 times on Facebook.

The sharing of misinformation and disinformation affects all segments of society. It does not matter if someone is rich, poor, young, old, gay, or straight. All people from all walks of life are impacted and should take the share of misinformation very seriously. Any person who has access to a cell phone or any sort of newspaper or news outlet needs to be aware that everything they see is not always accurate and should be followed up with their own judgment as well as other sources they have similar claims. 

Understanding how to spot false news can be tricky, but a few easy steps can be taken. First, you should always look at the author/ source of a piece of information. A simple Google search of their name can allow you to understand who they are and if they would be a credible person to take information from. Ask yourself if this person would have any reason to be biased on the story that they are reporting on. Checking the date of a news story is also important because many old stories begin to recirculate and are no longer relevant. Reading thoroughly into a story is also important because headlines are often used to grab a reader’s attention and are not very accurate about what the story is actually about. Lastly, checking supporting sources and understanding where the information actually came from is very important. If an author or news outlet is unable to cite their sources then their story is most likely not very accurate and should not be trusted. 

Altogether, misinformation and disinformation are everywhere. Be careful what you share and where you are getting your news. Understand that not everything on the internet can be trusted and find credible sources in order to stay informed and educated on the world around you.