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The problem of misinformation isn\u2019t going away \u2013 and may be getting worse, in the wake of the\u00a0assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump<\/a>. Internet platforms like Facebook and X have\u00a0taken some steps to curb its spread<\/a>\u00a0and say they are working on doing more. But no method yet introduced has been completely successful at removing all misleading content from social media. The best defense, then, is self-defense.<\/p>\n Misleading or outright false information \u2013 broadly called \u201cmisinformation\u201d \u2013 can come from websites pretending to be news outlets, political propaganda or \u201cpseudo-profound<\/a>\u201d reports that seem meaningful but are not. Disinformation is a type of misinformation that is deliberately generated to maliciously mislead people. Disinformation is intentionally shared, knowing it is false, but misinformation can be\u00a0shared by people who don\u2019t know it\u2019s not true<\/a>, especially because people often share links online\u00a0without thinking<\/a>.<\/p>\n Emerging psychology research has revealed some tactics that can help protect our society from misinformation. Here are seven strategies you can use to avoid being misled, and to prevent yourself \u2013 and others \u2013 from spreading inaccuracies.<\/p>\n The best inoculation against what the World Health Organization is calling the \u201cinfodemic<\/a>\u201d is to understand the\u00a0tricks that agents of disinformation are using<\/a>\u00a0to try to manipulate you.<\/p>\n One strategy is called \u201cprebunking<\/a>\u201d \u2013 a type of debunking that happens before you hear myths and lies. Research has shown that\u00a0familiarizing yourself with the tricks of the disinformation trade<\/a>\u00a0can help you\u00a0recognize false stories<\/a>\u00a0when you encounter them, making you less susceptible to those tricks.<\/p>\n Researchers at the University of Cambridge have developed an online game called \u201cBad News<\/a>,\u201d which their studies have shown can\u00a0improve players\u2019 identification of falsehoods<\/a>.<\/p>\n In addition to the game, you can also learn more about how\u00a0internet and social media platforms work<\/a>, so you better understand the tools available to people seeking to manipulate you. You can also learn more about\u00a0scientific research and standards of evidence<\/a>, which can help you be\u00a0less susceptible to lies and misleading statements<\/a>\u00a0about health-related and scientific topics.<\/p>\n Playing the \u2018Bad News\u2019 online game illustrates different ways information warriors can prey on people\u2019s psychological vulnerabilities. Screenshot of Get Bad News<\/p><\/div>\n The prebunking approach works for people across the political spectrum, but it turns out that people who underestimate their biases are actually more vulnerable to being misled than people who acknowledge their biases.<\/p>\n Research has found people are more\u00a0susceptible to misinformation<\/a>\u00a0that aligns with their preexisting views. This is called \u201cconfirmation bias<\/a>,\u201d because a person is biased toward believing information that confirms what they already believe.<\/p>\n The lesson is to be particularly critical of information from groups or people with whom you agree or find yourself aligned \u2013 whether politically, religiously, or by ethnicity or nationality. Remind yourself to\u00a0look for other points of view<\/a>, and other sources with information on the same topic.<\/p>\n It is especially important to be honest with yourself about\u00a0what your biases are<\/a>. Many people assume others are biased, but\u00a0believe they themselves are not<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 and imagine that\u00a0others are more likely to share misinformation<\/a>\u00a0than they themselves are.<\/p>\n Media outlets have a range of biases. The\u00a0Media Bias Chart<\/a>\u00a0describes which outlets are\u00a0most and least partisan<\/a>\u00a0as well as how reliable they are at\u00a0reporting facts<\/a>.<\/p>\n You can play an online game called \u201cFakey<\/a>\u201d to see how susceptible you are to different ways news is presented online.<\/p>\n When consuming news, make sure you know how trustworthy the source is \u2013 or whether it\u2019s\u00a0not trustworthy at all<\/a>. Double-check stories from other sources with low biases and high fact ratings to find out who \u2013 and what \u2013 you can actually trust, rather than just\u00a0what your gut tells you<\/a>.<\/p>\n Also, be aware that some disinformation agents\u00a0make fake sites<\/a>\u00a0that look like real news sources \u2013 so make sure you\u2019re conscious of which site you are actually visiting. Engaging in this level of\u00a0thinking about your own thinking<\/a>\u00a0has been shown to improve your ability to tell fact from fiction.<\/p>\n When most people go online, especially on social media, they\u2019re there for\u00a0entertainment, connection or even distraction<\/a>. Accuracy isn\u2019t always high on the priority list. Yet\u00a0few want to be a liar<\/a>, and the\u00a0costs of sharing misinformation<\/a>\u00a0can be high \u2013 to individuals, their relationships and society as a whole. Before you decide to share something, take a moment to remind yourself of the\u00a0value you place on truth and accuracy<\/a>.<\/p>\n Thinking \u201cis what I am sharing true?\u201d can help you stop the spread of misinformation and will encourage you to\u00a0look beyond the headline<\/a>\u00a0and potentially fact-check before sharing.<\/p>\n Even if you don\u2019t think specifically about accuracy,\u00a0just taking a pause before sharing<\/a>\u00a0can give you a chance for your mind to catch up with your emotions. Ask yourself whether you really want to share it, and if so,\u00a0why<\/a>. Think about what the potential consequences of sharing it might be.<\/p>\n Research shows that most misinformation is shared quickly and\u00a0without much thought<\/a>. The impulse to share without thinking can\u00a0even be more powerful<\/a>\u00a0than partisan sharing tendencies. Take your time. There is no hurry. You are not a\u00a0breaking-news<\/a>\u00a0organization upon whom thousands depend for immediate information.<\/p>\n People often share things because of their gut reactions, rather than the conclusions of critical thinking. In a\u00a0recent study<\/a>, researchers found that people who viewed their social media feed while in an emotional mindset were\u00a0significantly more likely to share misinformation<\/a>\u00a0than those who went in with a more rational state of mind.<\/p>\n Anger and anxiety<\/a>, in particular, make people more vulnerable to falling for misinformation.<\/p>\n Stand up to misinformation publicly. It may feel uncomfortable to challenge your friends online, especially if you fear conflict. The person to whom you respond with a link to a\u00a0Snopes post<\/a>\u00a0or other fact-checking site may not appreciate being called out.<\/p>\n But evidence shows that\u00a0explicitly critiquing the specific reasoning<\/a>\u00a0in the post and\u00a0providing counterevidence like a link<\/a>\u00a0about how it is fake is\u00a0an effective technique<\/a>.<\/p>\n Even\u00a0short-format refutations<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 like \u201cthis isn\u2019t true\u201d \u2013 are more effective than saying nothing.\u00a0Humor \u2013 though not ridicule of the person<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 can work, too. When\u00a0actual people correct misinformation online<\/a>, it can be\u00a0as effective<\/a>, if not\u00a0more so<\/a>, as when a social media company labels something as questionable.<\/p>\n People\u00a0trust other humans<\/a>\u00a0more than algorithms and bots, especially those in our own social circles. That\u2019s particularly true if you have\u00a0expertise in the subject<\/a>\u00a0or are a\u00a0close connection<\/a>\u00a0with the person who shared it.<\/p>\n An additional benefit is that public debunking notifies other viewers that they may want to look more closely before choosing to share it themselves. So even if you don\u2019t discourage the original poster, you are discouraging others.<\/p>\n If you see someone else has posted that a story is false, don\u2019t say \u201cwell, they beat me to it so I don\u2019t need to.\u201d When more people chime in on a post as being false, it signals that sharing misinformation is\u00a0frowned upon by the group more generally<\/a>.<\/p>\n Stand with those who stand up. If you don\u2019t and something gets shared over and over, that\u00a0reinforces people\u2019s beliefs that it is OK<\/a>\u00a0to share misinformation \u2013 because everyone else is doing it, and only a few, if any, are objecting.<\/p>\n Allowing misinformation to spread also makes it more likely that even more people will start to believe it \u2013 because people come to\u00a0believe things they hear repeatedly<\/a>, even if they know at first\u00a0they\u2019re not true<\/a>.<\/p>\n There is no perfect solution. Some misinformation is\u00a0harder to counter than others<\/a>, and some countering tactics are more effective at different times or for different people. But you can go a long way toward protecting yourself and those in your social networks from confusion, deception and falsehood.<\/p>\n1. Educate yourself<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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2. Recognize your vulnerabilities<\/strong><\/h4>\n
3. Consider the source<\/strong><\/h4>\n
4. Take a pause<\/strong><\/h4>\n
5. Be aware of your emotion<\/strong>s<\/h4>\n
6. If you see something, say something<\/strong><\/h4>\n
7. If you see someone else stand up, stand with them<\/strong><\/h4>\n