Thinking Before Sharing

Social media has made it easier than ever to share information, but it has also made it easier to spread falsehoods. False or misleading posts, often called fake news, are designed to provoke strong emotions such as anger or fear. These emotions push readers to share the posts quickly, before checking whether they are true. Some fake news is created for profit, since viral content attracts advertising money. Other fake news is produced to influence public opinion, especially during elections. Media literacy is the skill of evaluating information critically. A media-literate reader checks the source of a post, looks for the same story in reputable news outlets, examines the date and considers whether a photo has been taken out of context. Experts note that fake news thrives not only because of those who create it but also because of ordinary users who share it carelessly. Pausing before sharing, they say, is one of the simplest ways to stop its spread.