Fake... But How Do You Know?
Verifying on-line information takes work on your part. And
the “bad guys” can be very persuasive.
The first thing you can do is verify the source. For many
organizations and individuals of note you will see a blue symbol with a
checkmark next to their name if they have been verified on social media. This
means they are who they say they are but it still doesn’t mean that their posts
are accurate or unbiased.
As for “unverified” sources, I’m always wary of anything
that is “forwarded” to me or shared by friends or relatives on social media. I
typically trust my colleagues when it comes to academic or “work related“ info
however. Tracking down rumors, misinformation, and “urban legends” can be hard
work!
Second, check their website. The address should be
understandable and consistent with who they are claiming to be. When you visit
the website, take a look at the “about” section. For a news site, you should also be able to see
the names of their reporters and often a brief biography or credentials.
If there’s a picture accompanying a news story or shared in
a post, you can double check the photo with an image search. For example in
Google, right click the photo then select “Search Google for image.” If your
search turns up multiple websites or articles including the photo in question for
unrelated stories, it’s probably a “commercial image” or possibly a fake. “Clickbait”
ads are notorious for this. If on the other hand, only a few instances of the
photo for the same story appear, it’s most likely legitimate.
“Fake News” and bad information is a real problem on the
Internet. Many of these sites are trying to take advantage of you in order to
make money. If it seems like a scam, it probably is. Still others are trying to
“build their brand” or get “likes” so that they can become a bigger “influencer”
online. This is especially true on social media apps. And a few people just want
to gossip. Be very skeptical of anything you read in the comments section.
That’s one reason I turn mine off.
Verifying information is something that all of us have to
take responsibility for. The Internet has made the problem of false information
worse. To help you out, here are some websites you can use to verify whether or
not something you’ve read is correct:
