The internet is known for providing vast amounts of information across the world. Because of this, the online world has a tremendous amount of users supplying facts each day. However, not all internet users can handle information correctly, so it comes as no surprise that some information online is fake. I believe If people spent more time looking into information rather than mindlessly listening to everything they hear, they would be more updated on actual things in the world. I want to teach whoever is reading this what disinformation is defined as, what disinformation is on social media, the effect social media can leave on viewers, and how to see if something is genuine online. So people are more stingy about believing what the internet says.

To understand how to avoid disinformation, one must first understand what it is. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary last updated March 14, 2023, disinformation is labeled as “false information deliberately and often covertly spread (as by the planting of rumors) to influence opinion or obscure the truth.” People spread disinformation on the internet to make themselves more popular and create click bait for unsuspecting viewers to watch. This sort of disinformation is relatively harmless, but in some cases, disinformation can be extremely hurtful to others. For example, the company Schweitzer & Davidian posted an article titled “False Allegations and Sexual Assault: An In-Depth Look” last updated on January 15, 2020, that says 11% of sexual assault cases are falsely indicted because the court trusted disinformation. Another example of things leading to disinformation is differently worded sentences. For instance, if a person asks “have you seen a broken window” rather than “have you seen the broken window.” This one-word difference is such an issue because it can have such an enormous impact on the answer. So it is apparent that disinformation can be very harmful in certain circumstances.

Compared to the real world Disinformation can be found even more easily online. It can be watched, read, and heard across most if not all different kinds of social media. These social media include but are not limited to TikTok, Youtube, Instagram, Snapchat, and even Facebook. People put out this disinformation usually to surprise their viewers with the information they think is true but is fake. These social media creators do this because they are too lazy or can't say or do the thing they're lying about. A very well-known example of this is ghost-hunting videos. These videos appear very interesting and enticing to younger kids online. That's why these types of videos are usually highly viewed. But the thing is, almost all ghost-hunting videos are proven to be fake because of the outlandish and unrealistic things that happen in the videos. These videos are faked with the use of special effects, like greenscreens and video cuts. Since kids aren't mature enough to understand the legitimacy of things in life, they are much more susceptible to disinformation. More often than not, stuff like this can lead these kids to end up believing ghosts are a real thing in life. This information for the entire paragraph was found in CNBC’s article “YouTube’s dark side could be affecting your child’s mental health.

”The article “2022 Misinformation and Disinformation,” made by Alizia Vigderman and last updated on Jan 27, 2023, emphasizes that everything on social media can have very negative effects on things people believe in and work for. For example, if someone believes in investing in a type of stock because one guy on social media said it, realistically it won't turn out as well as the guys say it will. Because that one guy might not even know what he's talking about and could be completely lying, or he was informed with misinformation about the subject. Another great example would be if someone had a huge presentation for their job and used faulty information. It may be a tiny slip up but it could lead to bigger mistakes happening. Instead, more people should focus more on searching for more evidence on a topic before actually believing or using it. Lastly, the next paragraph is about how to see if something online is true and not some made-up falsity.

Finding out if the information you're looking at is real or fake news is a very simple task. The Article by Media Smarts, “Break the Fake,” last edited on July 17, 2017, Helps identify a strategy to help people figure out if something is factual or phony. First, search the subject on the internet to find out if it is anywhere else. If it is, a source cannot be found that supports the original claim. The information that is being read is likely fake. Second, find the source of the information that is being confronted. If the source comes from an unfactual origin that is also another great indicator that the information could be fake. Third, verify the source. To do so people need to ask themselves three questions about the information. The first question is are these sources are verified and exist. The second one makes them ask themself if they are who they say they are. Lastly, the third question is are these sites trustworthy for the research they conduct. If more people follow these steps, it would lead to less misinformation spreading on the internet.

This article has summarized what is disinformation, disinformation on social media, the effect social media can leave on viewers, and how to see if something is genuine online. The last five paragraphs have proven disinformation online can hurt everyone who uses social media. The most common occurrence because of misinformation online is making people stand up for something that might not even be true. But if everyone tried harder to care for what they believe in and do research, Ideas that have substance could go along much easier rather than get stuck with other sources carrying obscenely fake news. That is why people should try to stand up to toxic disinformation on social media, and to do this everyone should try to make an effort to consider if something is true or full of crap.