{"id":110173,"date":"2020-11-07T02:06:40","date_gmt":"2020-11-07T10:06:40","guid":{"rendered":"\/blogs\/?p=110173"},"modified":"2025-08-20T04:32:16","modified_gmt":"2025-08-20T11:32:16","slug":"combat-digital-misinformation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/family-safety\/combat-digital-misinformation\/","title":{"rendered":"Helping Your Family Combat Digital Misinformation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Helping Your Family Combat Digital Misinformation <\/strong><\/h2>\n

If 2020 has taught us anything, it\u2019s that our ability to think critically about the information we encounter online is now a fundamental life skill we need to learn, practice, and pass on to our offspring. But the actual task of teaching kids how to discern real and fabricated information online these days is easier said than done.<\/p>\n

How did the truth get so hard to pin down? In the documentary\u00a0The Social Dilemma<\/em>, the answer to that question comes down to two things: Our growing reliance on social media for both human connection and information and the data-based algorithms social networks use to mine and sell data, nurture device dependence, and influence our behavior.<\/p>\n

A\u00a02019 Pew Study<\/a>\u00a0reveals that 55 percent of US adults get their news from social media either \u201coften\u201d or \u201csometimes.\u201d A July 2020 Pew Study<\/a> shows that people who rely on social media for news are less likely to get the facts right about the coronavirus and politics and more likely to hear some unproven claims.<\/p>\n

The power of algorithms to deliver customized, manipulative content to a person\u2019s screen is alarming, says Tristan Harris, a former design ethicist at Google, who is featured in The Social Dilemma<\/em>, adding, \u201cNever before in history have 50 designers made decisions that would have an impact on two billion people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fighting Back<\/strong><\/h3>\n

On the heels of the recent election, Media Literacy skills will make a difference as\u00a0false reports are likely to surface in our social feeds<\/a>\u00a0in the foreseeable future. For many, the willpower to shut down their social feeds altogether isn\u2019t a viable option. So how do we wade through the veiled forms of manipulation and misinformation taking place all around us online?<\/p>\n

One approach is to make a personal commitment to stay alert, slow down, and carefully vet the content you consume, create, or share.<\/p>\n

Media Literacy\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

One thing you might consider is making 2021 the year your family masters Media Literacy, a topic we\u2019ve written extensively about on this blog<\/a>. In short, Media Literacy is the ability to identify different types of content and understand the messages each is sending. Content includes texts, social media memes or posts, videos, television, movies, video games, music, and various other digital content. Reminder: Someone creates each piece of content and that person, group, or company has an agenda or message.<\/p>\n

Grow Your Family\u2019s Media Literacy Muscle<\/strong><\/h3>\n