University of Kwazulu-Natal

Mis Disinformation The Skew Of Information And Its Impacts On You

Bonisiwe Shabane
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mis disinformation the skew of information and its impacts on you

The impacts of mis/disinformation extend far beyond politics. This growing cyber threat has the potential to impact us all, evading our conscious analytical thinking. No one is inherently immune from the negative effects of mis/disinformation. It has evolved into an unfortunate and pervasive reality of our hyperconnected world. Mis/disinformation can undermine trust, sever relationships, incite fear and panic, undermine security, manipulate decisions and influence people’s actions. Its consequences extend far beyond the screen—impacting individuals, communities, organizations and even national stability.

Mis/disinformation is more than just “fake news.” Mis- and disinformation are terms used to describe false information. Misinformation refers to incorrect information shared without malicious intent, often spread inadvertently. In contrast, disinformation is deliberately crafted and disseminated to deceive or manipulate. The critical distinction lies in the intent behind the content. While it’s often discussed in the context of modern media, the presence of mis/disinformation didn’t originate with the emergence of social media, the internet and 24-hour news cycles. False information shaping human decision processes, belief systems and subsequent actions on a large scale goes back centuries.

Disinformation that greatly influenced American civilization was that of Benjamin Franklin during the Revolution against the British. Franklin, indirectly through an unbeknownst agent, inserted false information in the “Supplement to the Boston Independent Chronicle” that the British were committing atrocities against the Native Americans. He aimed to influence the British citizens against Britain. The language used by Franklin to describe the acts of violence against the Native Americans was intended to incite emotions of anger and disgust in a situation of which the British public was mostly... Franklin took advantage of a lack of awareness by inserting false information to influence the war. During the Cold War, the Soviet government disinformed populations, initiated by using a rogue scientist already supporting a similar narrative, to spread lies about the United States creating AIDS.

This disinformation was intended to decrease public trust in the U.S. government. The narrative continued at length until the president of the USSR ordered its intelligence officers to discontinue Operation Infektion, the code name for the effort. The idea is still alive among conspiracy theory circles. Misinformation is spreading false, misleading, or inaccurate information, often without malicious intent. It differs from disinformation, which is intentionally deceptive, but the effects of both can be equally harmful.

In an age where information travels rapidly through social media, news outlets, and online platforms, misinformation can easily reach and influence a vast audience, shaping opinions, behaviors, and even policies. The impact on society is significant: misinformation can lead to public confusion, mistrust in reliable sources, and harmful behaviors, particularly in areas like public health, politics, and science. Combatting misinformation requires awareness, digital literacy, and a critical approach to the information we consume and share, making it a crucial issue for individuals, communities, and institutions. Misinformation is incorrect or misleading information that is shared, often without the intention to deceive. Unlike disinformation, which is deliberately false and shared with the purpose of manipulation, misinformation is typically spread by people who believe the information to be true. This distinction is essential because misinformation, though unintentional, can still have harmful consequences.

In today’s digital age, misinformation can spread rapidly through social media, news sites, and online messaging apps, reaching large audiences in a matter of minutes. People may share a post or article without verifying its accuracy simply because it aligns with their beliefs or because it seems credible at first glance. This can lead to a chain of sharing that amplifies the misinformation, potentially influencing public perception, spreading confusion, and even leading to misguided actions. Misinformation can have significant impacts, especially in sensitive areas like public health, politics, and science. For example, during health crises, misinformation about treatments, vaccines, or preventive measures can lead people to make unsafe choices, harming individuals and public health efforts. Similarly, incorrect information about candidates or voting procedures can influence public opinion and even election outcomes in politics.

Addressing misinformation is challenging but crucial, requiring digital literacy, fact-checking, and an informed public capable of critically evaluating information sources. In the age of rapid digital communication, information reaches people faster than ever. However, this ease of access to information has also led to an influx of misinformation—incorrect or misleading information shared widely, often unintentionally. Today, misinformation can spread across social media, news websites, and messaging platforms, reaching millions in seconds and influencing beliefs, behaviors, and even policies. Recognizing common examples of misinformation in today’s media is essential to navigate an increasingly complex information landscape. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

Misinformation is false information spread without intent to harm, while disinformation is false information deliberately spread to mislead and manipulate facts. Misinformation spreads quickly on social media because users can easily share false information with a simple click, often without verifying its accuracy, leading to rapid dissemination. Disinformation affects elections by spreading false narratives that undermine trust in the electoral process, influencing public opinion and voter behavior. During the COVID-19 pandemic, mis- and disinformation spread false claims about cures, treatments, and vaccine risks, leading to confusion, lower vaccination rates, and preventable deaths. About this guide: The purpose of this guide is to provide insights and strategies for overcoming confusion around identifying credible information. Over the past decade, our online information landscape has been dramatically transformed.

As a result, telling fact from opinion, and identifying credible journalism, has become more difficult. Whether you are a concerned citizen or an educator, this guide is for you. Misinformation is defined as false, incomplete, inaccurate/misleading information or content which is generally shared by people who do not realize that it is false or misleading. This term is often used as a catch-all for all types of false or inaccurate information, regardless of whether referring to or sharing it was intentionally misleading.Disinformation is false or inaccurate information that is... Wardle created the “7 Types of Information Disorder,” a typology that illustrates and emphasizes the types of information disorder in our media landscape, and this information disorder glossary. This typology was derived from a report commissioned by the Council of Europe.

Essential questions to ask when analyzing information center on the authority of the source/author and the purpose of the information: Authority: Who wrote/sponsored it? Purpose: What do they want me to do with the information? Conspiracy theories and propaganda tap into our deepest fears, emotion, and deeply held beliefs or values. Our tendency toward cognitive biases also helps to make belief in these theories immune to logic. We often wonder how any rational and logical-thinking person could believe in them, but facts don’t win arguments. If you find the tone, language or claims of a piece of information inspire visceral fear or anger, it’s a good idea to investigate the claims elsewhere by cross-referencing them with a variety of...

The Internet’s Double-Edged Sword: Navigating the Labyrinth of Misinformation The internet, a transformative force in human communication, has democratized information access like never before. It connects billions across continents, offering unprecedented opportunities for knowledge sharing and collaboration. However, this very interconnectedness has also created a fertile ground for the proliferation of misinformation, posing a significant threat to individual well-being and societal stability. This pervasive issue demands urgent attention and multifaceted solutions to safeguard the integrity of information in the digital age. The ease with which information can be created and disseminated online has blurred the lines between truth and falsehood.

Misinformation, defined as false or inaccurate information spread regardless of intent to deceive, thrives in this environment. While outright disinformation, or intentionally misleading information, poses its own set of challenges, even unintentional spread of false narratives can have devastating consequences. The sheer volume of information online, coupled with the speed at which it travels, makes it challenging for individuals to discern credible sources from fabricated ones. This “infodemic,” as some have termed it, erodes trust in institutions, fuels social divisions, and can even incite violence. Social media platforms, designed to connect and engage users, have inadvertently become major conduits for misinformation. The algorithms that power these platforms often prioritize engagement over accuracy, inadvertently amplifying sensational or provocative content, regardless of its veracity.

This creates echo chambers where users are primarily exposed to information that confirms their existing biases, further entrenching them in potentially false narratives. Moreover, the anonymity afforded by online platforms emboldens some to spread misinformation without fear of accountability, exacerbating the problem. The consequences of misinformation are far-reaching and can manifest in tangible harm. During the COVID-19 pandemic, for instance, misinformation about the virus and its treatments led to dangerous practices, including the ingestion of bleach or other toxic substances. Similarly, false narratives about vaccines have contributed to vaccine hesitancy, hindering public health efforts. Beyond health, misinformation can also impact political discourse, influencing elections and eroding trust in democratic processes.

It can damage reputations, incite violence, and undermine social cohesion. Following tech giant Meta’s announcement of the end of its fact-checking programme, fears are rising that false and often deliberately misleading information will proliferate further on its platforms, with potentially devastating effects on the... This could have serious consequences in those low- and middle-income countries in which populations are quickly coming online without the digital media literacy skills to interpret that content – and in which, often, Facebook... Already we have seen that information disorder – or the toxic combination of disinformation, misinformation, and malinformation polluting our information environments – has become one of the defining challenges of the information age. Advances in technology, increasing access to both traditional and social media, and changes in how people interact with information are propelling the spread of false information at a speed and scale not seen before. This has resulted in dangerously polluted information ecosystems, leaving people making critical decisions about their lives and livelihoods with a lack of reliable information.

Addressing these threats requires deep understanding of how information disorder is experienced by these audiences, and how it impacts them. Our research findings to date have been clear: audiences are increasingly aware of the negative impacts of information disorder on their lives, but often do not feel equipped to respond effectively. For example, our focus group participants in both Ethiopia and Zambia said mis- and disinformation was contributing to conflict between religious or ethnic groups, political instability and a breakdown of trust, while hindering community... In Somalia, some respondents said they experienced stress, depression and anger after falling for scams or other misinformation.

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