Social media has hurt traditional media by attracting much of their advertising revenue. While social media might be useful for some narrow purposes, staying informed is probably not one of them. For example, if you spend some time on social media asking whether the world is flat, you will attract stories that provide “evidence” that the world is flat. Your future searches will be shaped by that “evidence.” Unlike news organizations that have self-interest to protect their reputations, you cannot evaluate the sources on social media. Their income is determined by the number of clicks on their links rather than the quality of their information. Because outrageous claims will often attract more clicks, the incentives for online sources often run counter to accuracy.
We also need to be aware of our own biases. We all are more accepting of new information that confirms what we already believe than information that conflicts with our belief systems. For example, I like to drink coffee in the morning. Therefore, I am more interested in news stories that tout the benefits of coffee than stories that caution about the health risks of coffee. In the same way, we are likely to reject negative stories about candidates we like and accept negative stories about candidates we do not support. We often do not want to believe an unflattering story about a candidate we plan to support. We need to be sensitive to our own preferences when encountering the news.
The combination of untrustworthy sources and our willingness to accept what we want to hear has created a crisis of misinformation in the public. We believe stories that are patently untrue, often to our own detriment. Political violence has followed from this misinformation. Many have questioned the legitimacy of our democracy. Even for people uninterested in politics, we all must face this problem. Scammers and fraudsters are eager to use our fears and misconceptions to separate us from our money. Health misinformation is running rampant in the public. Navigating our sources and our own biases will help to protect us from ideas that can hurt us and scammers who will steal from us or risk our health with unproven “miracle cures.”
Staci Rhine is a Professor of Political Science at Wittenberg University. She will be giving a presentation on this topic on Monday, July 29 at The Springfield Museum of Art that is open to the public.
How To Go
Where: The Springfield Museum of Art
When: Monday, July 29. 5 to 7 p.m.
More information: www.wittenberg.edu/hagen-center/civic-education-series
How to watch: Livestream at www.facebook.com/springfieldusatv
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