How Misinformation Impacts The World Around Us

Misinformation is getting more and more believable in today's world. In my opinion, one of the largest areas of misinformation that has impacted almost everyone at some point is the religious and political opposing communications that take place online. No one really enjoys talking about these subjects yet somehow they are constantly being brought up in many usually unwanted and untimely instances. People tend to use their "opinions" as real-life facts that usually turn into nasty fights with no end in sight. It's like a merry-go-round. I don't care what your beliefs may be however, if you are dead set in the mindset of a particular subject there is no point to get into a conversation about said subjects with someone who has a differing view from you because you are not "interested" in what they have to say but rather the fact you want to just tell someone they are wrong and express your strong opinion on the matter. I only know this because it has happened to me on countless occasions where someone who is very set in their political or religious views does not align with my very moderate open mindset and wants to fight with me about my beliefs. Instead of hearing me out I just get the whole "you're wrong, you're a bad person, you don't know anything, etc." Usually, if there is someone I know that is known to start arguments in my DM's, I will just hit them with "we are not having this conversation" because it will go in circles. Most of the time they ignore it but a lot of the time they will consist of pushing it. In that case, there have been times when I will just block someone. I don't usually go to straight up blocking someone, but if it gets to the point where they are taking away from my energy I don't need that in my life anyways.

On the other hand, people always repost information on their Instagram stories about things they believe to be true. This could be anything regarding celebrities, a city, something happening in another country, or even just bachelor nation. Unless it is a reliable source (which in today's world is hard to truly know what is true or not) I don't tend to repost "news" or "informational" things unless I know it to be true. I tend to steer clear of politics unless it is something I strongly believe in and it affects me in any way then I will speak up on it. On the other hand, I tend to stick with speaking out about mental health awareness since I myself have suffered from diagnosed Major Depressive Disorder and Generalized Anxiety my entire life and can speak to my own personal experiences that are known to be true.

Ironically enough this article by Rocky Cole talks about how the accuracy of a headline plays into someone sharing said article or post with others on social media. It was stated that "People rated true headlines as accurate about 80% of the time and false headlines as true roughly 10% of the time. Whether the headlines supported a favored political position had relatively little effect. But when they asked which of the headlines participants would share online, people became much more willing to engage with misinformation. There was a disconnect between participants’ stated desires for accuracy, their demonstrated abilities, and their behavior." I found this result very interesting because it seems as if people are just willing to engage in such misinformation. But once they mentioned "accuracy" on the headlines, etc itself showed that "these minimally invasive literacy tips increased truth discernment by roughly 50%, effects similar to those found in the original study." It was stated that "Gently reminding internet users to stop and think about accuracy is a great first step, but there is no silver bullet to counter online misinformation."

Another example of online misinformation is the case of Instagram Fitness Influencer Brittany Dawn Davis who used her influencer status and profile to sell personalized fitness plans to her users. In this article from WFAA written by Willam Joy, Joy speaks on how the Texas General Attorneys' Office is actually the one who filed a deceptive trade practices act lawsuit against her for $250,000 to $1 million in damages. Brittany used her platform to convince her followers that she knew how to create said plans but instead would give plans that would have some clients only eating 900 calories a day. "The state said at least 14 customers who asked for refunds said the plans also made their eating disorders worse."

When it comes to any information on the internet it isn't always front of mind to double-check that what you are reading is actually true. This is especially true when you are going to socials to usually mindlessly scroll and avoid real life. For me, I am thankful that I use my analytical thinking when it comes to what is being shared online and will do research anytime I see something that takes me off guard or surprises me, or just something that I may be interested in knowing more about.

To conclude, misinformation is everywhere and affects everyone in one way or another. It really comes down to how much you care about sharing factual truth or sharing opinionated truth. Most people tend to share opinionated truth because it is what they believe to be true. Just remember to keep your mind open and do your research if you are unsure.