Misinformation and Disinformation Roundup: Impact on Health, What Twitter Could Do Better, White House Plans, and More

Since our recent infodemic, I’ve embraced fighting misinformation mayhem as a mission. And fortunately I’m not the only one. There are many promising developments. At the same time, we’re learning more about the consequences of misinformation and disinformation. The Content Science team and I have rounded up what’s happening to share with you so we can both celebrate progress and realize how much work lies ahead.

Reach and Impact of Misinformation / Disinformation

• Infodemics and Misinformation Negatively Affect People’s Health Behaviours
  A new WHO review sheds more light on the health consequences of misinformation

• Science Misinformation: Journalism in the Age of Truth Decay
  The Pulitzer Center is issuing grants for journalists to investigate how science misinformation happens and its impact

• TikTok’s Search Engine Repeatedly Delivers Misinformation to its Majority-Young User Base, Report Says
  NewsGuard shows the relatively new social media platform is also a new place for misinformation to proliferate

• Pervasive Dark Patterns Are Fooling People into Signing Up for Services They Don’t Want
  The Federal Trade Commission has aggregated the techniques and the extent of use into a rather disturbing report

Preventing Misinformation / Disinformation

We’re seeing more results from research exploring techniques to stop it and more perspectives from a range of stakeholders.

• Twitter Could Take These Steps to Slow Viral Misinformation, Researchers Say
  A multipronged approach seems to work best

• The Problem with Disinformation, Through the Lens of a Spanish-Language Fact-Checker
  Excellent perspective from the founder of Factchequeado

Improving Online + Civic Literacy

Fact checking sites like Politifact and Snopes are still going strong (thank goodness), and more organizations are working to help people recognize or sidestep misinformation.

• It Isn’t Misinformation If It’s Phrased As a Series of Completely Unhinged Rhetorical Questions
  A humorous take in McSweeney’s that draws attention to nutty questions as both a clue misinformation is happening and a technique for bad actors to circumvent rules

• The Youths Are Very Online. Who’s Teaching Them About Misinformation?
  Great feature in Mother Jones about Dr. Seema Yamin developing tools to protect youth…and the rest of us, too

• When Teens Find Misinformation, These Teachers Are Ready
  The New York Times features educators who are stepping up efforts around media literacy as students reach voting age

• James Madison University Gives Students Purple Pocket Constitutions
  My alma mater, specifically the Center for Civic Engagement, welcomed students back by giving them purple pocket constitutions (and the Democracy Matters podcast is worth checking out, too)

Increasing Accountability for Platforms + Industries

I’m never in favor of excessive regulation. But we can’t have the free-for-all we witnessed during the pandemic on social media and with crypto. So I’m glad to see more steps toward accountability for platforms and industries that have proven they can’t govern themselves effectively.

• White House Releases First Ever Comprehensive Framework for Responsible Development of Digital Assets
  An outline to rein in the crypto craze

• Social Media Execs Submit to Time Honored Public Lashing
  While the execs might not listen, I’m glad this helps raise awareness of the issues

So, cheers to the progress we’re making in understanding and fighting misinformation. I look forward to more.