Misinformation and Disinformation Media Literacy Guide

Misinformation is false or inaccurate information—getting the facts wrong. 

Misinformation is something you think is likely not true, but you’re not 100% certain about it. By not taking the time to verify it—because it confirms your bias, and you maybe want it to be true—and sharing it anyway, that’s misinformation.

Disinformation is false information deliberately intended to mislead—intentionally misstating the facts.

Disinformation means you purposely spread something that’s a lie.

The spread of misinformation and disinformation has affected our ability to improve public health, address climate change, maintain a stable democracy, and more. 

• Research suggests that detecting false information is difficult. When we encounter new information, we tend to focus on understanding it and deciding what to do next, rather than evaluating it for accuracy. It takes effort to compare new information with what we already know; when new information is false but plausible, we can learn it as fact.

• People are more likely to believe misinformation if it comes from in-group sources rather than out-group ones, or if they judge the source as credible.

• Echo chambers and influencers isolate online communities with similar views, which aids the spread of falsehoods and impedes the spread of factual corrections.

• The emotional content of misinformation plays a role as well: People are more likely to believe false statements that appeal to emotions such as fear and outrage. They are also more likely to believe misinformation that paints opponents in a negative light.

• People are more likely to believe repeated information, even when it contradicts their prior knowledge.

• Misinformation spreads differently on social media than on television, radio, and newspapers. Some mainstream news has safeguards in place to prevent and fact-check false claims. Social media encourages viral content with low oversight. 

• Rapid publication and peer-to-peer sharing allow ordinary users to distribute information quickly to large audiences, so misinformation can be policed only after the fact (if at all).

• Artificial intelligence tools can fabricate entirely new images and videos. But they can now also make much smaller tweaks by inserting A.I. elements into genuine photographs, further blurring the line between what’s real and what’s fake.

Source: https://www.apa.org/topics/journalism-facts/misinformation-belief-action