Read on Twitter
Disinformation and misinformation are terms that are often used interchangeably. And there's a difference. This thread will provide an overview of the literature and the terms. #disinformation Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0263237319301446 1/n
Inaccurate information is categorized as either misinformation, #disinformation or both in the literature. But itâs important to distinguish between the two. 2/n
"Misinformation" is referred to as inaccurate or incomplete information that can result from:
â˘An honest mistake
â˘Negligence
â˘Unconscious bias
(see: Fallis 2014 https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/handle/2142/47258) #disinformation 3/n
â˘An honest mistake
â˘Negligence
â˘Unconscious bias
(see: Fallis 2014 https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/handle/2142/47258) #disinformation 3/n
Misinformation misleads, to be sure. But " #disinformation" is different in that it is information that is INTENDED to MISLEAD. 4/n
According to Kumar and Geethakumari (2014), #disinformation is often âthe product of a carefully planned and technically sophisticated deceit.â https://hcis-journal.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s13673-014-0014-x 5/n
Purposeful distribution of #disinformation can lead to the spread of misinformation. Eg, think about the false information that was circulated on Facebook a few years about oranges injected with HIV. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/oranges-injected-hiv/ 6/n
Completely false, of course
. But people SHARED it as if it were true. #unconsciousbias This is an example how #disinformation can perpetuate stigmas and generate some serious social costs. (see more here: https://camiryan.com/2015/05/04/fast-information-nation-the-social-costs-of-our-highly-connected-world/) 7/n
. But people SHARED it as if it were true. #unconsciousbias This is an example how #disinformation can perpetuate stigmas and generate some serious social costs. (see more here: https://camiryan.com/2015/05/04/fast-information-nation-the-social-costs-of-our-highly-connected-world/) 7/n
Those with intentions to mislead with disinformation rely on the publicâs normative conception of information, who often assume that information is consistently accurate, true, complete, current, agnostic, or neutral. #disinformation 8/n
Our biases or our failure to check sources can trip us all up. Remember the Bloomberg interview that circulated a couple of weeks ago? I shared it because I thought â
A politician that doesnât know anything about ag is insulting farmers.â I was wrong. https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/elections/2020/02/17/bloomberg-video-appears-insult-farmers-but-full-context-deleted/4786501002/ 9/n
A politician that doesnât know anything about ag is insulting farmers.â I was wrong. https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/elections/2020/02/17/bloomberg-video-appears-insult-farmers-but-full-context-deleted/4786501002/ 9/n
My first mistake was that I didnât dig deeper and listen to the WHOLE interview (context is always very important). Second, I didnât even check the date of the interview. It was from 2016. #disinformation 10/n
Iâve also gotten tricked by #RIP announcements for celebs, sharing false information (not ACTUALLY dead) or, yes, they died - but not YESTERDAY, actually TWO YEARS AGO YESTERDAY. I just followed my biases without thinking or checking sources or dates. #disinformation 11/n
For many of us, the most provocative #disinformation is that which has just enough truth in it to give it the illusion of truth â disinformation that taps into our existing biases and fears. 12/n
And because we are inundated with information every minute of every day, we are subject to repetitive information. Repetition has a power to make things sound more true, even when we know differently. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20161026-how-liars-create-the-illusion-of-truth 13/n #disinformation
So, whatâs the point for someone to intentionally share #disinformation? Quite simply, to extract value. Value means different things to different people. Value might be gained simply by attracting âattentionâ (likes, clicks, links, etc) 14/n https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2017/10/19/the-future-of-truth-and-misinformation-online/
Many disinformation creators, however, have found ways to make 
from sharing #disinformation. 15/n
from sharing #disinformation. 15/n
They extract monetary value by attracting traffic to websites. âLet me make up stuff that makes you believe that you have a problem and check out my website where you can find your $50 solution.â #disinformation https://quackwatch.org/11Ind/mercola/ 16/n
#Disinformation shifts economic and political power. It can result in the loss of important innovations and foregone innovation capacities. For public health and food security, some of the greatest impacts have been to developing countries. See: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/26/gm-golden-rice-delay-cost-millions-of-lives-child-blindness 17/n
And while we would like to think that advancing âscientific literacyâ may help , perhaps we need to focus more on âinformation literacyâ or âcritical literacyâ or ânews literacyâ instead. See Nicole Cookeâs work: https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/692298 18/n #disinformation
"Misinformation is not like a plumbing problem you fix. It is a social condition, like crime, that you must constantly monitor and adjust to." Tom Rosenstiel. Executive Director, @AmPress #disinformation 19/n
Information is ubiquitous. Social media platforms are the new "virtual living rooms" where we convene to 'chat' and share information. It's up to us as individuals to think critically about what we consume and share in terms of info. #disinformation https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/11/this-is-what-experts-think-will-happen-to-fake-news 20/n
Call to action: think twice about what you share on social media. Check your sources. Check the date. Even consult @snopes (quick and easy fact checker). Also, @RANDCorporation provides a list of Tools That Fight #Disinformation Online here: https://www.rand.org/research/projects/truth-decay/fighting-disinformation/search.html 21/n
Some good sources to follow wrt to everything " #disinformation": @CT_Bergstrom @DisinfoIndex @EUvsDisinfo @DisinfoEU @DisinfoPortal @EU_MediaLit @Toffeemen68 @RSButner @katestarbird
If you have suggestions for others, please share!
If you have suggestions for others, please share!
