With the social media having attained such widespread reach, we often fall prey to false information that is forwarded either out of ignorance or with a wilful purpose. Raj S. Rangarajan, who did a course in fact-checking in New York, highlights the issue.
How much of what we read should we believe? How much of what we read is really true? Is there empirical evidence or factual confirmation that what we read every day is true? How do we know if something is false? These are some of the questions rational readers are asking these days, especially because of the amount of misinformation and disinformation being propagated in the name of news and more so since the pandemic has had a sad and unique grip on everyone’s peace of mind. Many of us wonder who the culprit is. Is the internet to blame for the mushrooming of so many social media channels? Twitter is a classic example of how quickly news can spread, whether true or false.
In fact, there are many misleading sites that revel in spreading wrong information. As seniors, it is imperative that we ferret out what is right and wrong, what is believable and what is not. An informative list of definitions from the council of Europe’s Information Disorder Report defines what is fact or otherwise. Management consultant Mike Kujawski, based out of Ottawa, Canada says, “Misinformation is information that is false, but not necessarily created to harm, such as someone posting something out of date without realizing that. Disinformation is information that is patently false and deliberately created to harm a person, a group, or say, a rival in business.”
“Malinformation could be information based on reality, but which is intended to create harm or hatred against a group. Such activity is often seen in religious or political situations in several parts of the world,” he adds. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines disinformation as false information deliberately spread to influence public opinion or obscure the truth.
Fake news is false or misleading information that is presented as news. With the explosion of social media as a vehicle of primary choice for many, we have to be particularly watchful. For instance, WhatsApp has attained maximum penetration in India and one has to be particularly vigilant and even concerned about what is uploaded and disseminated. Admittedly, some of the forwards from YouTube and WhatsApp are humorous and some even entertaining, but one should not let down one’s guard.
Be sceptical but not cynical. This should be a motto when checking if something is true or false. At times, someone in the family or perhaps a grandchild alerts you to a juicy story on the daily news or on the social media. The item appears so believable, but is it true? How many of us really have the time or inclination to investigate a story? Occasionally the excuse is: “Someone sent me this, and though I don’t believe it, I am merely passing it on.”
There are some who indulge in the vicarious pleasure of being the first to inform others – of something outrageous or incredible – though they know what they are conveying is not true. It is a given that today school kids and teenagers are sav- vier than seniors. It is normal these days for younger folk to help out technologically-challenged seniors. There’s no shame in accepting this, and mostly kids are happy to help.
If there are adults and kids in the same household, we have to be particularly careful because of the amount of false and foul materials that traverse the airwaves. Also, lots of superficial and superstitious material is being spread in the name of the pandemic and religion. Sadly, some doctors and ‘wannabe’ doctors – I prefer to term them quacks – have gotten into the act, and regrettably, there is a following for this kind of activity. As seniors it behoves us to first check if a particular news item is true and we bear the added responsibility and perhaps even an obligation to ensure that wrong information is not passed on to the gullible.
There is growing evidence that disinformation and even financial scams from rogue countries have been disrupting many lives. Thanks to proactive social media and the easy availability of technology at one’s fingertips, many irresponsible citizens are engaged in maliciously spreading gossip and mal-information.
Hence, some cautionary notes: Be careful about the source of the information. Do you know the sender? Even if she or he is a friend or a relative or a friend’s friend, be alert! One never knows. Better to be safe than sorry! There are some resources that are involved in fact-checking and debunking false information such as factchecker.in, fact-crescendo.com, boomlive.in, factly.in, dataleads.co.in and thelogicalindian.com, among others.
VOL 26 | ISSUE NO 08 | aUgUSt 2021
