Misinformation and Disinformation: the Sowing of Mistrust and the Harm of Divisiveness
Our first inkling of misinformation and disinformation were cloaked in a hard to define wrapping of “fake news”. It was not until we could see clear evidence of misleading information that began with the 2020 Presidential election cycle, the social justice movement around the murder of George Floyd, and the outbreak of COVID-19 that we really began to have a clear understanding of the difference in these terms and how they were being spread.
It seems pretty clear that these dynamics are here to stay. The question is how well each can be managed forward, and what methods become most effective at minimizing their harmful social impact.
“We didn’t foresee how 1 to 1 communication was affecting society. Algorithms have created a bifurcated society – we are talking to each other like we are getting a divorce, there’s acrimony in the conversation.” — CPG Advertiser
Today, with the increasing number of information outlets, and the platforms through which to spread them, we have created a cesspool for harmful rhetoric and outright lies. If you are looking at a source that doesn’t appropriately represent your POV on a topic, there are 10 other waiting in the wings. Coincidentally, a number of these sources masquerade themselves as credible news sources but are extremist destinations playing on people’s emotions and pushing their partisan agenda, or infotainment sources who have no real incentive for getting the information right, as long as they can produce traffic for advertising.
Nonetheless, one our best weapons is to understand what mis- and disinformation is, how they are propagated, and how to diminish their effects. This section will help you to understand the differences and give you a better handle on how and where they live. From there, you can sharpen your executional strategies.