Camille Francois, Chief Information Officer for\u00a0Graphika\u00a0and dis<\/span>\/<\/span>misinformation disruptor, shared\u00a0<\/span>a\u00a0<\/span>hopeful observation in a recent discussion.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>“<\/span>We don<\/span>‘<\/span>t often celebrate the fact that, yes, people are vulnerable to disinformation, but a lot of them are also actually quite good, including the younger generations<\/span>.<\/span>“<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Though\u00a0<\/span>j<\/span>ust one letter apart<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>understanding the\u00a0<\/span>contrasting motives behind<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>dis- and misinformation\u00a0<\/span>will allow you to<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>approach these forms of false information more comfortably<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>While d<\/span>isinformation<\/span><\/i>\u00a0is\u00a0<\/span>deliberately spread with the intent to\u00a0<\/span>deceive<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>m<\/span><\/i>isinformation<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span>is false information<\/span>\u00a0spread\u00a0<\/span>regardless of intent to mislead.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“<\/span>Conspiracy theories, more often than not, are just large groups of people who genuinely believe in what they<\/span>‘<\/span>re spreading and who have real accounts<\/span>,<\/span>“<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>said Francois.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Who<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>then<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>are these well-inten<\/span>ded<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>mis<\/span>informers<\/span>?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Contrary to p<\/span>opular<\/span>\u00a0opinion,\u00a0<\/span>there\u00a0<\/span>isn<\/span>‘<\/span>t\u00a0<\/span>one political party\u00a0<\/span>more prone to conspiratorial thinking\u00a0<\/span>\u2013\u00a0<\/span>they<\/span>\u00a0flourish on both sides of the\u00a0<\/span>a<\/span>isle.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

$\"\"$ <\/a>
Unsplash\/Dole777<\/p><\/div>\n
The power of social media in spreading fake news cannot be understated. A\u00a0<\/span>recent study<\/span><\/a>\u00a0found people who consume\u00a0<\/span>information<\/span>\u00a0via\u00a0<\/span>social media<\/span><\/a>\u00a0are more likely to believe misinformation<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
Viral disinformation by design<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>elicit<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0anger and fear<\/span>, compound<\/span>ing<\/span>\u00a0the stress\u00a0<\/span>we already feel in this pandemic<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>W<\/span>h<\/span>en<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>we are in this emotional state, cortisol levels (stress hormones) can increase enough to activate an amygdala hijack<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>also known as\u00a0<\/span>fight or flight mode.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>This immediate overwhelm temporarily clou<\/span>d<\/span>s our judgment and can lead to an impulsive decision to retweet\u00a0<\/span>a<\/span>\u00a0disturb<\/span>ing news story<\/span>, only to later discover\u00a0<\/span>it was false<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
In\u00a0<\/span>his\u00a0<\/span>excellent<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Psychology Today piece<\/span><\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>Noam Shpancer’s\u00a0<\/span>present<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>several\u00a0<\/span>essential\u00a0<\/span>cognitive\u00a0<\/span>functions\u00a0<\/span>“<\/span>underlying our perpetual penchant for purveying\u00a0<\/span>preposterous plots.<\/span>“<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>T<\/span>o start, the<\/span>\u00a0brain is wired to\u00a0<\/span>want<\/span>\u00a0simplicity\u00a0<\/span>and\u00a0<\/span>avoid uncertainty<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0Once a belief becomes part of our identity, the brain seeks information that reinforces the preconception<\/span>, called confirmation bias<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>This natural tendency helps\u00a0<\/span>explain why\u00a0<\/span>just<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>24% of MSNBC viewers\u00a0<\/span>and\u00a0<\/span>13% of Fox News\u00a0<\/span>viewers tune<\/span>\u00a0into\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>other station for\u00a0<\/span>10 or more minutes<\/span>, according to a recent\u00a0<\/span>Inscape study<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span>Our brains do not like substance that diverges from our worldview<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
The beauty of the brain is it<\/span>s capacity to rewire<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>If you wish to tap into critical thinking more, fall down rabbit holes less, and prevent others from doing the same, read on.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
Diversify your news<\/span><\/b>\u00a0sources<\/span><\/b>.<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>An excellent way to develop critical thinking<\/span>\u00a0is to seek information from\u00a0<\/span>different points of the political spectrum.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Make a conscious effort to approach every article\u00a0<\/span>intending\u00a0<\/span>to understand, not judge.\u00a0<\/span>There will\u00a0<\/span>be<\/span>\u00a0seat-squirming<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>likely\u00a0<\/span>an<\/span>\u00a0expletive<\/span>\u00a0or two<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>perhaps<\/span>\u00a0even\u00a0<\/span>rash<\/span>ly<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>shutting\u00a0<\/span>down\u00a0<\/span>the laptop.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Whatever happens,\u00a0<\/span>stay the course.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Remember, your brain<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>likes simplicity<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>Anything that threatens\u00a0<\/span>its<\/span>\u00a0cushy lifestyle<\/span>\u00a0is going to get a lot of grief.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Once you can recognize\u00a0<\/span>your\u00a0<\/span>discomfort for what it is<\/span>\u2014<\/span>a neurological response<\/span>\u00a0to\u00a0<\/span>a<\/span>\u00a0trigger<\/span>\u2014<\/span>leaving your comfort zone will be much easier.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
Do your own\u00a0<\/span><\/b>fact<\/span><\/b>–<\/span><\/b>checking.<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>While\u00a0<\/span>y<\/span>our\u00a0<\/span>Facebook feed<\/span>\u00a0is subject to misinformation<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>you<\/span>\u00a0can safeguard\u00a0<\/span>y<\/span>oursel<\/span>f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>by researching facts before digesting them<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Camille<\/span>\u00a0Francois recommend<\/span>s\u00a0<\/span>First Draft<\/span><\/a>, a website dedicate<\/span>d to\u00a0<\/span>disrupting disinformation.\u00a0<\/span>“<\/span>Th<\/span>at<\/span>‘<\/span>s a good place to start<\/span>\u00a0because they have a beginner<\/span>‘<\/span>s guide to verifying that a source is coming from where they say they are<\/span>,<\/span>“<\/span>\u00a0said Francois.\u00a0<\/span>If you do come across fake news on social media, take the extra step to<\/span>\u00a0kindly<\/span>\u00a0inform\u00a0<\/span>the misinforme<\/span>d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>person\u00a0<\/span>in a private message<\/span>\u00a0with a link to the source that dispels\u00a0<\/span>it<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>P<\/span>ublicly shaming them is\u00a0<\/span>both\u00a0<\/span>an unfair way to handle it<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>and can quickly escalate to\u00a0<\/span>a comment war.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
Think before you share.<\/span><\/b>\u00a0If\u00a0<\/span>a news article or\u00a0<\/span>image\u00a0<\/span>appears too\u00a0<\/span>extreme or off<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>go with your gut and don<\/span>‘<\/span>t share. Th<\/span>e\u00a0<\/span>simple act of doing nothing prevents the\u00a0<\/span>stream<\/span>\u00a0of disinformation from reaching your\u00a0<\/span>friends<\/span>\u00a0and family.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
Help\u00a0<\/span><\/b>individuals\u00a0<\/span><\/b>spreading misinformation<\/span><\/b>\u00a0tap into logic<\/span><\/b>.<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>Knowing\u00a0<\/span>our<\/span>\u00a0brain<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>are\u00a0<\/span>wired to fall for fake news,\u00a0<\/span>confront others with compassion.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>To help shift them<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0tap into critical thinking,\u00a0<\/span>remove judgment<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0and ask questions.\u00a0<\/span>Camille\u00a0<\/span>Francois also recommends<\/span>\u00a0providing tangible facts to counter misinformation<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>“<\/span>If your\u00a0<\/span>relatives and your loved ones are sharing information that is pro<\/span>b<\/span>ably untrue, it<\/span>‘<\/span>s important to go back to them and to say,\u00a0<\/span>‘<\/span>Look, the source that you<\/span>‘<\/span>re sharing this from has been rated as being very unreliable. The numbers in this article are\u00a0<\/span>from<\/span>\u00a0last year, and they<\/span>‘<\/span>re not the updated numbers.<\/span>‘<\/span>“<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
T<\/span>he\u00a0<\/span>next time you\u00a0<\/span>are\u00a0<\/span>perusing\u00a0<\/span>social media or your favorite news source<\/span>, ask yourself\u00a0<\/span>if\u00a0<\/span>you<\/span>\u00a0are<\/span>\u00a0applying critical thinking or reinforcing your own biases.\u00a0<\/span>You<\/span>‘<\/span>ll\u00a0<\/span>be happier and healthier<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>putting in the ex<\/span>tra effort to\u00a0<\/span>rewire\u00a0<\/span>those neural networks.<\/span>\u00a0Your\u00a0<\/span>brain will thank you for it.\u00a0<\/span>Our democracy will<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0too.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Camille Francois, Chief Information Officer for\u00a0Graphika\u00a0and dis\/misinformation disruptor, shared\u00a0a\u00a0hopeful observation in a recent discussion.\u00a0“We don‘t often celebrate the fact that, yes, people are vulnerable to disinformation, but a lot of them are also actually quite good, including the younger generations.“\u00a0\u00a0 Though\u00a0just one letter apart,\u00a0understanding the\u00a0contrasting motives behind\u00a0dis- and misinformation\u00a0will allow you to\u00a0approach these forms of false […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":14930,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[82,1],"tags":[64,65],"class_list":["post-14903","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-managing-yourself","category-uncategorized","tag-disinformation","tag-social-media"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.berdeogroup.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14903","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.berdeogroup.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.berdeogroup.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.berdeogroup.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.berdeogroup.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14903"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.berdeogroup.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14903\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14906,"href":"https:\/\/www.berdeogroup.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14903\/revisions\/14906"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.berdeogroup.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14930"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.berdeogroup.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14903"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.berdeogroup.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14903"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.berdeogroup.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14903"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}