Evaluating Online Information

What is misinformation? It is misleading or inaccurate information.  Misinformation becomes disinformation when the intent is to deceive.

Beware! Generative AI, such as ChatGPT, is very good at creating convincing and plausible but false headlines and articles.

Read more: In depth analysis of Information Disorder (encompasses misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation)

Common ways that we get fooled:

• People are more likely to believe a statement when it is accompanied by an image.  Images are more likely to be remembered than words.  Images also increase likes and shares of a social media post.  Visuals can imply a connection without explicitly stating it.  Watch out for screenshots and misuse of official logos and no accompanying link or reference.  It can be a real image but it is mislabeled or taken out of context.
• Misleading graphs and charts may have no label, skewed representation, inconsistent labels/ranges, cherry-picking of the data
• Maps can also be used to distort the truth and deceive.  Check out Bending Lines: Maps and data from distortion to deception from Leventhal Map and Education Center at the Boston Public Library.

Check the origin of an image by doing a reverse image search.  If you are using Chrome, then right click on the image and choose "search image with Google."  Then you can see where else the image has been posted online and determine its context and validity.  TinEye also does this by allowing you to upload an image and it will tell you where else it was posted online.

Check the past iterations of a website or to see if a website that a source is citing existed using the Wayback Machine

YouTube's Science Scam Crisis (overview of mis- and disinformation on YouTube)

Try the Cambridge Misinformation Susceptibility Test!

Read this! AI Misinformation: How it works and ways to spot it