- Feb 2022
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www.wired.com www.wired.com
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“If we are not serious about facts and what’s true and what’s not, if we can’t discriminate between serious arguments and propaganda, then we have problems.”
I think something that is not being acknowledged very often when it comes to the conversation of discussing misinformation and disinformation is that there is always an unspoken social pressure or influence to always seem "likeable" "in-the-know" or "always right." Especially considering where social media is a very big resource in today's social climate, many people may not be honest about it, however a lot of us are fearful that if we say the wrong thing or think the wrong things, people may not befriend us, embrace us, or like you. So, there is a certain social engineering that is occurring where people are subscribing to certain ideas simply because that seems to be the group consensus and that causes pressure. We all must be accountable for debunking lies.
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The velocity of social sharing, the power of recommendation algorithms, the scale of social networks, and the accessibility of media manipulation technology has created an environment where pseudo events, half-truths, and outright fabrications thrive.
As it has been stated by Daniel Kahneman, we all are "cognitively lazy." This a very telling statement that helps to reveal the different reasonings of why we are in a world full of "half-truths" but, deeper than that, why we all continue to accept these half-truths. A lot of times we do not want to take the necessary time it takes to evaluate information instead of just accepting things to be true.
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- Jan 2022
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www.nbcnews.com www.nbcnews.com
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The announcement was the apparent end of one of the most haltingly successful companies to ride a wave of interest in online and directly sold alternative medicines — immunity-boosting oils, supplements, herbs, elixirs and so-called superfoods that, despite widespread concerns over their efficacy and safety, make up a lightly regulated, multibillion-dollar industry.
This is a perfect example of the contradiction that is our system of industries, that in one breath communicates how we need to debunk misinformation, but however still encourages profiting off of the spreading of misinformation and the naivetés of their consumer market.
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Sellers packed video calls mourning the death of their miracle cure, railing against executives who had taken their money and seemingly run, and wondering how they might recoup the thousands of dollars they paid for BOO that never arrived.
I also had a similar reaction as many to this because it is interesting perspective because obviously if something was not the level of quality or value that it was marketed to be one would be very upset. But, also it is a very prominent example not only of misinformation, but for just how quickly misinformation can be spread. Furthermore than that, this situation highlights the rationale behind why people so easily and quickly believe, defend, and spread misinformation, unfortunately it usually sources from a very prominent trend occurring or a need that is causing desperation for more information on a subject without verifying credible sources.
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