When scrolling through Facebook, I do not have to look far to find misinformation. Trying to weed through misinformation on social media can be daunting. There always seems to be multiple versions of the same story floating around and digging for the truth seems an endless task. The grandmother problem occurs when people (typically older people) unwittingly share misinformation on social media platforms. I was not shocked when Pew Research found that in 2018 68% of people at least occasionally used social media for news. The same study found while many people seek news on social media, 57% said they believed the news on social media was “largely inaccurate.” Although the task may seem daunting, there are some things we can all do to help solve the grandmother problem.
- Curate your own timeline as a reliable source of information.
As the old saying goes, if you want to change the world, start with yourself. Actively share information on your feed that you have personally read and found to be credible. Try to share information from a variety of sources so that the information is balanced. This is key if you want to be able to help others become savvy information sharers online. Not only does this make you a good example, but it also makes you credible. I personally am not qualified at the moment to be engaging many people on misinformation in this regard. My timeline has been scarce for a long time. It would likely come off as a personal attack if I suddenly pointed out misinformation on someone else’s feed when I have not posted anything in months. - Assume positive intent.
I am stealing this line from a conflict resolution model at work. This has profound significance in many areas of life, though. Never assume someone is maliciously spreading misinformation, unless you have ample evidence to suggest otherwise. From my personal experience, the spread of misinformation comes from naivety, not malice. With that in mind, it’s usually best to address misinformation through private messages to avoid public embarrassing the other person. - Ask questions that create conversation.
When approaching someone online about something they posted, ask questions about the post. It is possible they may have shared the post as a joke. Asking what they liked about the article or found interesting and important could give critical insight on how to approach them. This makes a conversation instead of a lecture. You can share information with them that you found that is correct about the topic, providing links if possible, when you ask the questions.
