0:00:00.379,0:00:02.090
♪ (music) ♪

0:00:10.586,0:00:13.250
[Information Polution]

0:00:13.920,0:00:17.660
The internet gives everyone in society[br]a voice in the public sphere.

0:00:18.610,0:00:23.130
But when anyone can post anything online,[br]the result is a lot of information.

0:00:24.272,0:00:27.092
Some of this is trustworthy,[br]but a lot of it isn’t.

0:00:28.150,0:00:32.410
On social media and search platforms,[br]all information is made to look the same.

0:00:33.250,0:00:35.810
It can be hard to tell what is[br]from a credible source,

0:00:36.733,0:00:38.770
such as a professional news organization,

0:00:40.240,0:00:41.980
and what is less reliable.

0:00:43.490,0:00:46.773
Social media networks make it easy[br]for wrong information to spread,

0:00:47.493,0:00:50.079
which means we hear a lot[br]about the fake news problem.

0:00:50.799,0:00:52.720
But what is fake news, exactly?

0:00:54.780,0:00:57.919
The phrase gets used to describe[br]all kinds of wrong information,

0:00:57.919,0:01:00.289
from articles intended to deceive people,

0:01:00.839,0:01:03.190
to misleading memes[br]and clickbait headlines,

0:01:04.250,0:01:05.640
to conspiracy theories.

0:01:07.302,0:01:10.294
Some people call news reports[br]they don’t like "fake news",

0:01:10.294,0:01:12.400
as a way to discredit reliable sources,

0:01:13.117,0:01:14.957
which only adds to the confusion.

0:01:15.930,0:01:18.799
To understand the problem [br]of wrong information online,

0:01:18.799,0:01:21.060
it helps to define and categorize it.

0:01:21.980,0:01:24.959
False information[br]can be sorted into two categories:

0:01:26.115,0:01:28.445
misinformation and disinformation.

0:01:29.719,0:01:31.130
Misinformation is wrong,

0:01:31.810,0:01:34.130
but the person sharing it[br]believes it to be true.

0:01:34.730,0:01:36.825
While misinformation can be damaging,

0:01:36.825,0:01:39.035
its intent is not to cause harm.

0:01:39.630,0:01:41.440
Examples could include a factual error

0:01:41.440,0:01:43.207
caused by misunderstanding,

0:01:46.004,0:01:47.274
a manipulated image,

0:01:49.140,0:01:51.940
or a real photo that appears[br]with a made up story.

0:01:53.233,0:01:55.097
Disinformation, on the other hand,

0:01:55.097,0:01:56.839
is deliberately false information

0:01:56.839,0:01:59.039
created and shared to cause harm.

0:01:59.409,0:02:02.030
It has the goal of confusing[br]people about what is true,

0:02:02.320,0:02:04.772
and influencing how they think and act.

0:02:05.769,0:02:09.392
For example, a false rumour[br]circulated about a political candidate

0:02:09.392,0:02:11.722
that causes others[br]to doubt their trustworthiness.

0:02:13.099,0:02:15.499
Together, all this mis- and disinformation

0:02:15.499,0:02:18.090
can be thought of [br]as information pollution.

0:02:19.160,0:02:23.009
Unreliable stories or posts[br]can be interesting or funny,

0:02:23.009,0:02:26.690
or spark an emotion that makes us want[br]to believe and share them with friends.

0:02:27.720,0:02:32.484
People contribute to information pollution[br]by sharing false and misleading content.

0:02:33.620,0:02:36.620
Before believing or sharing[br]something, stop and ask,

0:02:37.020,0:02:39.040
“Who made this, and why?”

0:02:39.740,0:02:42.865
This is the first step[br]in combating information pollution

0:02:43.618,0:02:45.739
to become a more informed citizen.

0:02:46.778,0:02:48.445
♪ (music) ♪

0:02:50.151,0:02:52.692
[Brought to you by CIVIX]

0:02:53.895,0:02:56.011
[With the support of Canada]

0:02:56.533,0:02:58.985
[Produced by SPACE HEART]