EOTO #2 Disinformation, Mal-information, Misinformation

Misinformation is false or inaccurate information that is spread with the intent to deceive someone else. In regards to how it affects society as a whole, I think people are becoming, on the one hand, more gullible to current news or more ignorant in the sense that they can't believe anything they see. Through multiple surveys, such as the NPR survey and the Quinnipiac University survey, respondents recognize that we are a more significant threat to our democracy than any other potential external threat. One of the essential components of the need for more confidence in our political system is the purposely spread of misinformation. For example, in the 2020 election, Russia's cyber efforts and online actors were allowed to influence public perceptions and attempted to put mistrust in the electoral process with the idea of mail-in voting and the alleged irregularities in the results, leading people to think the democratic party was committing voter fraud. With the media as popping as it is in our generation, it is hard to believe anything you see on any social media platform. When I see some sort of news, I always double-check it with other resources before accepting it because people will post misinformation to get likes or viewers. Disinformation is false information deliberately and often covertly spread (as by the planting of rumors) to influence public opinion or obscure the truth. The spread of misinformation and disinformation has affected our ability to improve public health, address climate change, maintain a stable democracy, and more. Disinformation is similar to misinformation, but the difference is that people share their beliefs or what they think are facts and unknowingly spread false information. Disinformation has affected me because others I follow repost false details or tell me false information they haven't personally fact-checked. I will tend to believe them without double-checking their facts to see if it is believable enough. It could be as simple as “This famous person died,” depending on the person who told me this or the person sharing this on social media, I will unconsciously believe them. Misinformation is based on a fact, but it's removed from its original context to mislead, harm, or manipulate. To an extreme, revenge porn is a form of mal information in the sense that you take something that was intended to be private and it was made public with the intent of harming one or more people. This is a big issue today, with many websites full of this but no one to fight to take it down. Malinformation massively affects those on social media or the internet, especially with the use of AI. Imagine being internet famous and posting about getting a routine surgery and waking up the next day to an Instagram post that you have died. I would be baffled, but this has happened to people more than you think. People grab a fact and run with it to make their page famous. It has not affected me personally, but I see it everywhere when I open my phone. It gets way worse closer to significant national events, such as the presidential election. Most of the posts are backhandedly hilarious; granted, they are so out of line that I like to get a little laugh out of them.