Trying to fix the grandmother problem is much easier said than done. Since writing my blog post about it, I have seen numerous posts shared on Facebook that immediately raised red flags in my head. Not only were they filled with false information, none of the sources were credible in my opinion. It is becoming much easier to feed out the bad sources if they don’t share the author, or make claims that can’t be backed up with a simple Google search.
The problem is, these people that shared the information were people I knew from high school or middle school that I haven’t spoken with, or seen, in years. Reaching out to them to tell them they are wrong, even in the nicest way possible, would come across extremely poorly. I would not be able to share my point and direct them to better sources without them completely discrediting what I say or show them.
I could try posting relevant information to combat these false sources, but who knows how well it will be received or even seen with the algorithm.
I did have a really great conversation with my husband about how sharing things without doing research can be really dangerous for spreading fake news. He doesn’t do it often, but sometimes he shares links he sees on Facebook with me or his friends. Rarely does he share it to his Facebook wall. I was able to share what I’ve learned throughout the course and explain the importance of sharing accurate information. Since we share trust for each other, it was really easy to explain why and he was very receptive to what I said.
By observing how the Grandmother Problem shows up in my own life, I was able to see it better and see that it is really hard to fix. But we have to start with people we are really close with who won’t shy away from tough conversations.
