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The internet gives everyone in society a voice[br]in the public sphere.

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But when anyone can post anything online,[br]the result is a lot of information.

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Some of this is trustworthy, but a lot of[br]it isn’t.

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On social media and search platforms, all[br]information is made to look the same.

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It can be hard to tell what is from a credible[br]source, such as a professional news organization,

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and what is less reliable.

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Social media networks make it easy for wrong[br]information to spread, which means we hear

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a lot about the ‘fake news’ problem.

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But what is fake news, exactly?

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The phrase gets used to describe all kinds[br]of wrong information — from articles intended

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to deceive people, to misleading memes and[br]clickbait headlines, to conspiracy theories.

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Some people call news reports they don’t[br]like ‘fake news’ as a way to discredit

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reliable sources, which only adds to the confusion.

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To understand the problem of wrong information[br]online, it helps to define and categorize

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it.

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False information can be sorted into two categories:[br]misinformation and disinformation.

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Misinformation is wrong, but the person sharing[br]it believes it to be true.

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While misinformation can be damaging, its[br]intent is not to cause harm.

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Examples could include a factual error caused[br]by misunderstanding, a manipulated image,

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or a real photo that appears with a made up[br]story.

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Disinformation, on the other hand, is deliberately[br]false information created and shared to cause

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harm.

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It has the goal of confusing people about[br]what is true, and influencing how they think

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and act.

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For example, a false rumour circulated about[br]a political candidate that causes others to

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doubt their trustworthiness.

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Together, all this mis- and disinformation[br]can be thought of as “information pollution.”

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Unreliable stories or posts can be interesting[br]or funny or spark an emotion that makes us

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want to believe and share them with friends.

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People contribute to information pollution[br]by sharing false and misleading content.

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Before believing or sharing something, stop[br]and ask “who made this, and why?”

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This is the first step in combating information[br]pollution to become a more informed citizen.