We live in a digital world. This means that we are constantly surrounded by information. A large amount of this information is solid, reliable, and verifiable. Sadly, there is also a lot of untrue “information” circulating the internet. This “information” which seems to be every bit as popular as actual and verifiable knowledge. So, what do we do? We must work hard to discover what is true, and what isn’t, or at least what seems to be untrue.
This means that to an extent we can fight to uncover what is true and what isn’t. That’s something which is great about a digital world. We can fact-check ourselves and others. This is something which is genuinely important. A single mistake, no matter how small, could result in anything from losing your trust to becoming the target of an internet backlash or even legal repercussions.
Misinformation and other invalid contents are published for a variety of reasons. Some post it to smear an adversary, others enjoy “trolling” forums to watch others’ reactions, while some post “clickbait” in order to entice potential customers to view their ads. Regardless the motivation, publishing inaccurate reports can have catastrophic results.
If nothing else, publishing falsehoods can harm reputations, causing brands to lose current and potential customers.
