By Amelia Alexander
We live in an age of information, but unfortunately, we also live in an era of misinformation.
Fake news spreads like wildfire. Fake news is information that is false or completely misleading that is presented as news. Fake news travels about 6 times faster than regular news on social media. This is extremely concerning.
Many of us consume news online, via social media. About 86% of adults admitted to at least getting some of their news through social media. 60% recorded that they often get their news from social media, according to a Pew research center study, conducted Aug. 31-Sept. 7, 2020.
You have probably heard the saying: “you are what you eat.” This saying also goes for the information that we consume.
It is imperative to think critically about the news that we are fed. Our feeds on social media are designed to provide information that is subject to our own interests and beliefs. The news on your feed probably aligns with whatever political party or ideology with which you agree.
All news that you consume is at least slightly biased or skewed. The objective is to get as much information as you can, make sure that the source is legitimate, and then draw your own conclusions.
I personally think that my generation does alright with deciphering what news is real. I think this is a product of social media being a large part of society for most of our lives.
In school, we have been taught how to determine whether a website is valid. This type of media has been around most of our lives, so I think we do a decent job navigating through social media.
Unfortunately, social media and fake news are successfully manipulating people to believe certain things. Misinformation is a threat to democracy. Having misinformed voters and citizens in general is very concerning.
The rioters at the capitol are an instance of how misinformed citizens can be very dangerous. This example illustrates how vital it is that we do our part to not spread fake news, and not allow ourselves to be misinformed.
If you are not confident that you know how to determine whether news is fake, be sure to read through this pdf: https://library.pfeiffer.edu/Fake-News-Worksheet.pdf
