4 ms·

I think the best way of combatting misinformation is with internet hygiene. Recently I’ve moved to a mostly text based internet. I’ve changed the sites I go to

I think the best way of combatting misinformation is with internet hygiene. Recently I’ve moved to a mostly text based internet. I’ve changed the sites I go to for entertainment (Reddit, Twitter) to basically only show text by default, and it’s crazy how much less inundated I feel by the news. With less information, I feel much more equipped to separate out what is real and what is fake. I’ve also made an active attempt to separate news and information from entertainment. There are [studies](https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/s13423-012-0292-0 https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/s13423-012-0292-0 ) showing that people are generally ok at dealing with misinformation, but if you show them text on images(especially emotive), or show them misinformation when their guards are down, they are much more likely to believe it.

Krasnol 6y ago
Good it worked out for you but it won't for the masses as they've been educated to consume (moving) pictures. So this can't be the answer. It doesn't have to be one too because there are many people out there who do not go so far and still mange to stay sane.
- Bukhmanizer 6y ago
  I don’t think it’s as impossible as you might think. Plenty of people right now go in tech “diets” (i.e. going offline for some period of time). The difference is that usually isn’t sustainable over long periods of time. I also think you’re underestimating how hard it is to avoid basic misinformation. By basic misinformation, I mean stuff that’s verifiably false with a couple of google searches. It’s really easy to recognize misinformation when you already disagree with it. It’s so much harder to do when you agree with the general sentiment. Even on HN, so much bs about Facebook gets upvoted and repeated without critical thought just because most people (and I agree with them) don’t like FB. Images and memes ratchet this up by like 10x.
  - Krasnol 6y ago
    I think this is just an attempt to temporarily fade out/ suppress. This never solved anything. It is all text here and there are plenty people who repeat over and over that they are off reddit. They still repeat bs because it's a circle jerk and you're being punished for not following it. But HN is text too and following OPs recommendation won't help at all. I think the opposite is the way to go. Flood trains you to see bs before it reaches any regions which are relevant for decision. I see that constantly when I watch my parents shopping on amazon and trying to avoid those prime dark patterns the put all over the process. They have to THINK about it. Literally stop and look on all those buttons, links, symbols where I just flow past it without even having to read more than a word. It works.

Krasnol 6y ago

Good it worked out for you but it won't for the masses as they've been educated to consume (moving) pictures. So this can't be the answer. It doesn't have to be one too because there are many people out there who do not go so far and still mange to stay sane.

Bukhmanizer 6y ago
I don’t think it’s as impossible as you might think. Plenty of people right now go in tech “diets” (i.e. going offline for some period of time). The difference is that usually isn’t sustainable over long periods of time. I also think you’re underestimating how hard it is to avoid basic misinformation. By basic misinformation, I mean stuff that’s verifiably false with a couple of google searches. It’s really easy to recognize misinformation when you already disagree with it. It’s so much harder to do when you agree with the general sentiment. Even on HN, so much bs about Facebook gets upvoted and repeated without critical thought just because most people (and I agree with them) don’t like FB. Images and memes ratchet this up by like 10x.
- Krasnol 6y ago
  I think this is just an attempt to temporarily fade out/ suppress. This never solved anything. It is all text here and there are plenty people who repeat over and over that they are off reddit. They still repeat bs because it's a circle jerk and you're being punished for not following it. But HN is text too and following OPs recommendation won't help at all. I think the opposite is the way to go. Flood trains you to see bs before it reaches any regions which are relevant for decision. I see that constantly when I watch my parents shopping on amazon and trying to avoid those prime dark patterns the put all over the process. They have to THINK about it. Literally stop and look on all those buttons, links, symbols where I just flow past it without even having to read more than a word. It works.