4 ms·

What actually qualifies as misinformation? I see lots of things these days that fall under that label that would simply have been called gossip in the past and

What actually qualifies as misinformation? I see lots of things these days that fall under that label that would simply have been called gossip in the past and covered from the perspective of exploring popular gossip.

lsiebert 5y ago
Examples of Misinformation: scientifically debunked ideas like the idea vaccines cause autism Ideas with zero basis in reality like the idea that most or all mass shootings are actually faked using "crisis actors" Political conspiracy theories like the idea that Bernie Sanders would have been the democratic candidate for president, but was cheated by Hillary Clinton. Misrepresented ideas, like how certain people on the right wing just ignore what critical race theory actually is by redefining it into a farcical straw man argument and then see it everywhere (This is a repeated pattern, see sharia law, migrant carvans, covid safety, etc)
- lazyeye 5y ago
  The idea that misinformation occurs along party lines is, in itself, misinformation.
  - lsiebert 5y ago
    Please cite your source for that? My understanding, based on studies like the one discussed here, is that misinformation does tend to be concentrated along partisan extremes. https://www.npr.org/2021/03/06/974394783/far-right-misinformation-is-thriving-on-facebook-a-new-study-shows-just-how-much https://www.npr.org/2021/03/06/974394783/far-right-misinform... That said, it's absolutely true that it wasn't just democrats pushing the idea that bernie sander's was cheated. It was also russian disinformation campaign. https://www.wired.com/story/bernie-sanders-russia-chaos-2020-election/ https://www.wired.com/story/bernie-sanders-russia-chaos-2020...
    - lazyeye 5y ago
      Source: commonsense and a basic understanding of human nature.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- devteambravo 5y ago
  One of these does not belong
- gwright 5y ago
  > Misrepresented ideas The notion that "misrepresenting ideas" is a form of "misinformation" is chilling. It suggests that there is some privileged point of view regarding any given idea and that anything that contradicts that point of view is "misinformation". Exactly how do you propose to determine what the correct representation is for any particular idea? Isn't it possible that some ideas are not credible and that criticism of them is legitimate? How do you propose to evaluate new ideas if they can't withstand criticism and competing ideas? It is awfully convenient to be able to tag criticism of your ideas as "misrepresentation" and therefore "misinformation". It is just one step further to regulate the means of communication so that "misinformation" is prohibited, blocked, etc. Ideas that can't be defended on their own merits but instead are perpetuated by ignoring, blocking, censuring, or disparaging competing ideas don't seem particularly sturdy to me.
  - trasz 5y ago
    It’s not about criticism and competing ideas, it’s about trying to force a definition of idea different from what it actually is.
stetrain 5y ago
I think some of the difference is coordination and spread. I suppose some gossip could be intentionally malevolent but it's generally not coordinated across multiple mediums and groups. People also don't generally don't print watercooler gossip out on posters and hang it up in public around their town or state. Patterns that cause less harm in some context can cause more harm when they're being used by those wanting to intentionally spread misinformation, and when it's much easier for that information to spread to millions of people.

lsiebert 5y ago

Examples of Misinformation: scientifically debunked ideas like the idea vaccines cause autism Ideas with zero basis in reality like the idea that most or all mass shootings are actually faked using "crisis actors" Political conspiracy theories like the idea that Bernie Sanders would have been the democratic candidate for president, but was cheated by Hillary Clinton. Misrepresented ideas, like how certain people on the right wing just ignore what critical race theory actually is by redefining it into a farcical straw man argument and then see it everywhere (This is a repeated pattern, see sharia law, migrant carvans, covid safety, etc)

lazyeye 5y ago
The idea that misinformation occurs along party lines is, in itself, misinformation.
- lsiebert 5y ago
  Please cite your source for that? My understanding, based on studies like the one discussed here, is that misinformation does tend to be concentrated along partisan extremes. https://www.npr.org/2021/03/06/974394783/far-right-misinformation-is-thriving-on-facebook-a-new-study-shows-just-how-much https://www.npr.org/2021/03/06/974394783/far-right-misinform... That said, it's absolutely true that it wasn't just democrats pushing the idea that bernie sander's was cheated. It was also russian disinformation campaign. https://www.wired.com/story/bernie-sanders-russia-chaos-2020-election/ https://www.wired.com/story/bernie-sanders-russia-chaos-2020...
  - lazyeye 5y ago
    Source: commonsense and a basic understanding of human nature.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
devteambravo 5y ago
One of these does not belong
gwright 5y ago
> Misrepresented ideas The notion that "misrepresenting ideas" is a form of "misinformation" is chilling. It suggests that there is some privileged point of view regarding any given idea and that anything that contradicts that point of view is "misinformation". Exactly how do you propose to determine what the correct representation is for any particular idea? Isn't it possible that some ideas are not credible and that criticism of them is legitimate? How do you propose to evaluate new ideas if they can't withstand criticism and competing ideas? It is awfully convenient to be able to tag criticism of your ideas as "misrepresentation" and therefore "misinformation". It is just one step further to regulate the means of communication so that "misinformation" is prohibited, blocked, etc. Ideas that can't be defended on their own merits but instead are perpetuated by ignoring, blocking, censuring, or disparaging competing ideas don't seem particularly sturdy to me.
- trasz 5y ago
  It’s not about criticism and competing ideas, it’s about trying to force a definition of idea different from what it actually is.

stetrain 5y ago

I think some of the difference is coordination and spread. I suppose some gossip could be intentionally malevolent but it's generally not coordinated across multiple mediums and groups. People also don't generally don't print watercooler gossip out on posters and hang it up in public around their town or state. Patterns that cause less harm in some context can cause more harm when they're being used by those wanting to intentionally spread misinformation, and when it's much easier for that information to spread to millions of people.