With the primary election just around the corner, many of us have already been bombarded with ads, especially as we browse online. Talk of Russian meddling in our elections hasn’t died down since 2016, and it stands to reason that we should be cautious of articles from unfamiliar sources. Each day we see shares on social media from well-meaning friends. A lot of these articles are not legitimate, yet people won’t do the research before posting, and disinformation spreads like wildfire. The authors of this disinformation are experts at preying on our biases and prejudices. They know some people are eager to spread anything negative about candidates or causes they don't like. The old adage says a lie can travel halfway around the world before the truth can get its shoes on. And that was before the internet.
Nobody likes to be manipulated. Before you share information, make sure it’s accurate. A simple Google search of, “Is XYZ a legit news source?” is usually all it takes to find out if the information you are reading is something you can trust to be accurate.
If you haven’t already, we recommend watching "The Great Hack." It is available now on Netflix and offers a tremendous amount of insight into how Cambridge Analytica manipulated people through information they obtained from a popular social media platform. While it’s too late for most of us to do anything about the data points associated with our online presence, we can all do a better job of being cautious of the information that is served to us as we browse the internet. Even though you may find a candidate unappealing, it is unfair to spread disinformation about them. We all see this happen every day on both sides of the aisle. It may take a few minutes of your time, but it’s worth it to be known on the newsfeed as someone who is informed and only shares legitimate news stories.