What kind of misinformation do you encounter online? What type of information do you discover that could be inaccurate or misleading? Which outcomes could occur as a result of misinformation and misleading content? How could this information influence an audience, a society, and a community? What can you do to counteract the effects of misinformation online?
I remember a time when we called the internet ‘The Information Highway”. Today, it might be more properly labeled as ‘The Misinformation Highway”. The internet has become less of a platform for sharing information and more of a place for sharing thoughts and ideas. I believe in freedom of speech, but with all of the other freedoms we hold dear, it comes with a cost. The cost is that many people do not know how to differentiate between fact and fiction and they end up spreading lies and propaganda to their friends.
It is important that we take time to do some research to make sure the information we share is from a non-partisan – reliable source, like PBS in the 1990’s and like National Public Radio is today.
The public needs to take accountability for supporting platforms that do not disseminate factual information. How? There are blockchain startups that have taken notice of this epidemic and are looking to expose suppliers of misinformation although it is unclear to me how they intend to do so.
Until then, I’ll continue to do what I always do. I focus on what is important in life and I won’t spread information online that I don’t know to be factual.
Jonathan M. Taylor's Blog 