There is a Lot of Misinformation on the Web, and Most of Us Tend to Fall for it

Social Media plays a huge role in the way we gather information. In fact, a study reported by Journalism.org states that 64% of adults who frequent the web also use social media outlets such as Facebook or Twitter, and half of those users get news updates from these online communities. But how reliable are these sources?

Recently, a story circulating around the web tells of a 93 year old woman shot and killed one of a group of thugs who attempted to make her a victim of “the knockout game,” a game where younger kids will sucker punch random people and try and knock them out for seemingly no reason at all. The story is completely untrue (although the game is real), but for some reason people share stories like this all the time. Other stories that are commonly misrepresented are things like Obamacare, the economy, personal health, or other high-profile stories that might attract a lot of clicks due to the shocking content contained in the links.

How do we find out what is real and what isn’t?

In an article posted by lifehacker.com, the best way to spot something that’s fake is to check what you read with a healthy dose of skepticism, no matter the source (internet, tv, even mail ads). If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is. Another big step in debunking these popular fake stories is actually doing your research. Part of the problem is that we see these links posted by people we trust, so we assume them to be true. But if we turn to other sources that might be more reliable than our long lost cousin, the chances of finding the truth will skyrocket. There are also many tools on the web (such as snopes.com or even google) that will aid you in finding what’s real.

If you know someone who is constantly posting articles or quotes that you suspect are untrue, you might feel an urge to stop them. If you are tactful, polite, and sincere, it can help stop the spread of misinformation.