Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I think we all know misinformation is sometimes cited as a threat we all face, especially in today's rapidly evolving digital age. I'm just wondering how big of a concern people think misinformation is, in the grand scheme of things. And also, what can actually be done to combat the problem of misinformation, or is it better to do nothing at all?
I don't want to influence the direction of the discussion, so I will wait to provide my opinion.
given the sadly overwhelmingly tendency to believe:
If the MSM says it's true
The Internet says it's true
Your favored politicians say it's true
that it's true
then misinformation, unabashed bias and crafted narratives, and outright lies are indeed a big problem.
Yes, we all have to check our bias at the door when discussing misinformation and politics together. Our favorite candidates, no matter how sweet, nice and honest they may seem, told delicious lies to get elected. People wouldn't have it any other way. You win elections by telling people what they want to hear... And the truth can be included, when it conveniently serves the narrative being pushed. But it certainly doesn't appear to be necessary. People have been complaining forever that they are being lied to, but those very same people are often the first to sign up for, and fall victim to, the next great lie.
To be clear, it's not "misinformation" per se, rather it's misinformation in an age where _any_ information can literally circle the globe in seconds. Kinda like viruses, in a limited environment, the overall effect is mitigated by it's inability to spread. In a globally accessible environment, it's effects are magnified.
At some point folks will realize that the biggest threat to humanity isn't environmental, it's what you get when you remove environ and it's the control and manipulation of that resource that will truly be the downfall.
Most people are too lazy to look up any information themselves and simply take the media's, politician's, talking head's, etc's word for it. The info is out there for them to confirm or deny; it's just easier to believe what they hear and fall in line. Truth or lies, it doesn't matter.
Very concerning-especially when fake stories are created and promoted by our mainstream media, elected politicians and non-elected bureaucrats, and quoted as fact.
"Misinformation" is a problem we've faced all the way back to George Washington's time. And perhaps back to Cicero's time, and longer.
"Misinformation" is an annoyance. But it's easy nowadays to look up many different opinions and eventually form your own.
What's far more sinister, is a lack of truthful information. If the purveyors of information deliberately and aggressively cut out and censor one viewpoint, no matter which one it is, makes it far more difficult to find that viewpoint. Then the whole process of "looking up many different viewpoints" and forming your own, is actively threatened.
This is exactly what Democrats have been actively doing for the last few years. They seem to believe that censoring a viewpoint that they, the Democrats, "know is wrong", is a good thing. As though they were the only ones capable of judging what is "wrong", and most of the normal people in the electorate are not capable of it.
There's a bigger problem than misinformation: disinformation. Misinformation is incorrect information. Disinformation are lies purposely created to contradict fact.
One thing I wonder is how accurate government statistics sites are today. Can we really trust them? Do they filter out anything that mal-aligns with their agenda? and most importantly, how can you prove or disprove their research without access to raw data?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
