One great way to be an informed community member is to head to social media!

However… you practically have to be a detective to find out if a social media post has good information or misinformation.

Let’s learn how to look for clues to find out what makes a post misleading.

These examples are from Facebook, but misinformation happens on Instagram, Twitter, and every other social media platform.

The skills you learn here are universal!

Let’s imagine what cats and dogs would post – if they had access to the internet, of course.

First, we’ll practice using critical thinking skills to understand why these posts are spreading misinformation.

Then you’ll put your skills to the test to try finding the misinformation yourself.

Watch out for confirmation bias:
When you see things on social media that you strongly agree with, you can forget to use your detective skills. Sometimes when you agree with something you forget to look a little closer at what is really being said.

Consider the source:
The URL itself can give you a lot of information about a source. But dive deeper too! Is this a trustworthy site? Do they publish accurate information about both sides? If not, it might be misinformation.

Pay attention to the images:
The picture attached to an article can sway your emotions by showing the subject in a negative or positive way. Photo and video editing software can be used to alter or create an image that backs up a story.

Question Numbers and Figures:
When you see data or research in an article, you need to make sure it has been collected by a well-known source in a methodical manner.

Find the misinformation!

Click on the three problematic areas in this post. Can you find them all?

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Read the article you share: When you hit share, you’re telling your friends and followers that this is a useful resource. If you don’t read the source, who knows what you’re pairing yourself with? Not you, that’s for sure!

Likes and shares do not equal advocacy: It’d be great to change unfair things just by sharing or liking a post, but nothing works better than getting civically engaged to advocate for the issues you care about.

Check with multiple sources: Make sure you can find the same information on other trusted sources. Do a quick online search. If an article’s claims only show up on other biased sites, it may be misinformation.

Find the misinformation!

Click on the three problematic areas in this post. Can you find them all?

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ADVANCED LEVEL
Find the misinformation!

These last two posts are a little harder!

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