The term that I decided to focus on for this blog post is disinformation. The simple definition of disinformation is false information that is deliberately spread in order to sway people's opinions or obscure the truth. It is commonly used by governments to cover up the truth or to portray them in a different light to the general public. Disinformation is dangerous because it has the power to scare people and to cover up the truth. Joseph Stalin was the one who coined the term, and named it after a KGB black propoganda department. Throughout history, the disinformation tactic was frequently used throughout wars.
For example, disinformation can be, and is commonly used politically. A political group can use it to spread their agenda and influence minds. Disinformation can easily make one party or one type of people look bad. The people most susceptible to disinformation are people who have not been educated on how to properly research real v. fake news, and people who do not have access to a lot of research tools, such as books, the news, and computers. I would speculate that the age groups who are most at risk for falling for disinformation are very young and very old people. Politicians often use disinformation to attempt to get more voters and to pit voters against the other party by spreading false rumors or making them look bad. It is important for everyone in this day and age to do research on the news they are hearing and read or listen to multiple non-biased news sites.
Technically, disinformation could be used politically to help a country or politician benefit. A country could say that they are super advanced and ahead of the game regarding weapons and war tactics (even if they are not) and spread this disinformation so that they could look threatening to other countries or enemies. Disinformation teaches society that it is acceptable to lie and spread false information if someone can benefit from it. Instead of promoting and encouraging clear and honest communication, it allows those with the most power, like governments, to lie without reprimand.
There are many different forms of disinformation. It can be edited videos or audios, fake reports, fake news, and propaganda. Technology allows those spreading false information to change or stitch together audio and videos to make whatever party or person they are targeting look or sound bad. A simple photoshop could create a false report which could convinently get "leaked" to the media. Technology allows for a much easier spread of disinformation, but also allows for people to do their own research and fact check.
There are a few ways to not fall victim to disinformation. The first way would be to research all information you read. This means to look into scholarly sources and non-biased news channels. Another way would be to communicate with others and see if they had heard this information or anything differently. When communicating with others, it is important to not spread false information or fear. If you have elderly family members who believe everything they read on social media and news sites, providing them with reliable sources and encouraging them to question information (especially political) is extremely important.
References: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disinformation
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disinformation
For example, disinformation can be, and is commonly used politically. A political group can use it to spread their agenda and influence minds. Disinformation can easily make one party or one type of people look bad. The people most susceptible to disinformation are people who have not been educated on how to properly research real v. fake news, and people who do not have access to a lot of research tools, such as books, the news, and computers. I would speculate that the age groups who are most at risk for falling for disinformation are very young and very old people. Politicians often use disinformation to attempt to get more voters and to pit voters against the other party by spreading false rumors or making them look bad. It is important for everyone in this day and age to do research on the news they are hearing and read or listen to multiple non-biased news sites.
Technically, disinformation could be used politically to help a country or politician benefit. A country could say that they are super advanced and ahead of the game regarding weapons and war tactics (even if they are not) and spread this disinformation so that they could look threatening to other countries or enemies. Disinformation teaches society that it is acceptable to lie and spread false information if someone can benefit from it. Instead of promoting and encouraging clear and honest communication, it allows those with the most power, like governments, to lie without reprimand.
There are many different forms of disinformation. It can be edited videos or audios, fake reports, fake news, and propaganda. Technology allows those spreading false information to change or stitch together audio and videos to make whatever party or person they are targeting look or sound bad. A simple photoshop could create a false report which could convinently get "leaked" to the media. Technology allows for a much easier spread of disinformation, but also allows for people to do their own research and fact check.
There are a few ways to not fall victim to disinformation. The first way would be to research all information you read. This means to look into scholarly sources and non-biased news channels. Another way would be to communicate with others and see if they had heard this information or anything differently. When communicating with others, it is important to not spread false information or fear. If you have elderly family members who believe everything they read on social media and news sites, providing them with reliable sources and encouraging them to question information (especially political) is extremely important.
References: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disinformation
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disinformation
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