In the present time, misinformation has been rampant on various platforms. Thus, being victimized by it is way more possible nowadays. Nevertheless, we can still avoid it by knowing the ways how to fight misinformation.
Misinformation is false information that has been spread from one person to another, or from one platform to another. This information has not been verified or supported by facts from credible sources, therefore considering it as fake news.
Fake news is commonly heard and taken as information that is not legitimized by reliable sources and supporting documents that will strengthen its legitimacy. Information or certain news can be specified easily if we know how to spot fake news. If not, we will be having a hard time distinguishing what information we should believe in or not.
As of now, fake news can be spread easily through using the easiest and most available platform we have now, social media. Social media has been a great use to everyone. It makes our lives easier. From our personal to career life, social media has been the best key to making our way of living quite easier and wider.
More so, social media is the biggest source of information. All kinds of information, news and such, are available on this platform. We can navigate social media if we need some entertainment, searching and getting information from time to time. Truthfully speaking, social media is what we really need in this modernized world.
On the other hand, social media has been negatively used by some. As it is always readily available, being a responsible user has not been practiced by the majority. One fact for this is that we can spot fake news over our timeline with our social media accounts as long as we educate ourselves.
Fake news in social media is quietly garnering negative effects on the audiences. Some who are not aware to spot fake news are easily victimized by it. They tend to believe it, share it, and make everyone else around them believe it also. On the contrary, some who know how to spot fake news ignore it or give out credible sources and information that is more factual than it.
More to this, fake news somewhat causes commotion to different audiences. Since everyone has different ways to prove what is wrong and right, there is tension in-between. Some believe that certain information is true, while some believe that it is not.
For some people, they provide evidence through mouth-marketing and experiences, while some provide evidence through significant information from credible sources. Both are indeed valid and may provide an accurate basis, yet being more cautious and smart to know what fact is and what’s not is very essential.
Being defensive and educating one another are two different things. One common point we only want is to know what we should believe and rely on when it comes to information. It is our responsibility to take action on ourselves for us to avoid being ruled by fake news.
To help everyone with determining fake news to factual news, here are some ways how to avoid fake news:
Look For Credible Sources
This is said to be the easiest way for us to distinguish fake news. Not all information that appears in our news feed are all facts. The information that is available in our news feed is also bound for fact-checking. To do so, we should rely on renowned search engines, credible sources such as websites, news agencies/firms, etc that have the credibility and expertise when it comes to fact-checking. Accessing credible sources can somewhat guarantee us to weigh if the information we have in front of our eyes is real or not.
Know if it is Opinion-Based or Fact-Based Information
Everyone has the freedom to state his or her opinion about a certain issue or topic. Everyone is entitled to share his or her thoughts that are also relatable to some. Yet, this entitlement and freedom should be used responsibly and should impose professional manner, most importantly if it will be shared to a wider scope of audiences. Everyone should learn how to comprehend if it is opinion-based or fact-based. We can easily distinguish if it is opinionated primarily when it is under an editorial or opinion article, therefore it comes from the perspective of the writer. On the other side, if information comes from news websites, agencies, firms, etc, and has been supported by relevant details, thus it makes it more factual.
Think Before You Share
All the information that is available in our timeline and somewhat relatable on our side are not all meant to be shared. For some instances, those information is very crucial. Most importantly if the information we see in our news feed pertains to a certain issue, we should always weigh first, think before sharing it. One click or one share from us can trigger, confuse or spread information that is not factual nor essential to the issue. We should always be very vigilant when it comes to sharing something on social media.
Always Be Critical
It is always possible that we can see information or news that is written to engage our emotional reactions to it and to the issue they are targeting. This is when we should be mindful and critical to think about what we should believe in based on our critical mindset. We should not let our emotions rule our minds and just believe instantly what we see. Sometimes, this kind of information or article is bound for clickbait and has black propaganda. We should always be a person who aims to eliminate fake news.
Fact-Check
Always fact-check. Articles, news, and other information should always be fact-checked. The content of every article can be a mixture of opinion and fact-based information. Therefore, we should be cautious about what parts should we believe in and whatnot. More so, articles that pertain to certain issues or not should be fact-checked. Fact-checking can be done by accessing information from credible sources or information outlets.
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