7 ways to avoid becoming a misinformation superspreader

Misleading or outright false information – broadly called “misinformation” – can come from websites pretending to be news outlets, political propaganda or “pseudo-profound” reports that seem meaningful but are not. Here are seven strategies you can use to avoid being misled, and to prevent yourself from spreading inaccuracies.

Educate yourself

The best inoculation against what the World Health Organization is calling the “infodemic” is to understand the tricks that agents of disinformation are using to try to manipulate you

• Prebunking – a type of debunking that happens before you hear myths and lies
• Knowing the tricks of the disinformation trade can help you recognize false stories when you encounter them, making you less susceptible to those tricks

Recognize your vulnerabilities

People who underestimate their biases are actually more vulnerable to being misled than people who acknowledge their biases

• “Confirmation bias” – a person is biased toward believing information that confirms what they already believe
• Look for other points of view, and other sources with information on the same topic

If you see something, say something

Critiquing the specific reasoning in the post and providing counterevidence

• Even short-format refutations are more effective than saying nothing
• Humor can work, though not ridicule
• Public debunking notifies other viewers that they may want to look more closely before choosing to share it themselves

Consider the source

When consuming news, make sure you know how trustworthy the source is or whether it’s not trustworthy at all.

• Double-check stories from other sources with low biases and high fact ratings to find out who – and what – you can actually trust, rather than just what your gut tells you.

If you see someone else stand up, stand with them

When more people chime in on a post as being false, it signals that sharing misinformation is frowned upon by the group more generally

• Stand with those who stand up
• If you don’t and something gets shared over and over, that reinforces people’s beliefs that it is OK to share misinformation

Take a pause

Take a moment to remind yourself of the value you place on truth and accuracy

• Even if you don’t think specifically about accuracy, just taking a pause before sharing can give your mind a chance for your mind to catch up with your emotions
• Think about what the potential consequences of sharing might be

Be aware of your emotions

People often share things because of their gut reactions, rather than the conclusions of critical thinking

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