Misinformation is false or inaccurate information spread through different means. With social media, misinformation has the opportunity to spread quicker and farther than ever before. While there are ways to educate oneself and gain a better understanding of media literacy, misinformation learns to spread in new ways. One of the most recent issues regarding misinformation is the increased use and consumption of AI, or artificial intelligence. AI can sculpt images and videos that look and feel real, making it harder for people to distinguish fact from fiction. This blurs the line between what\u2019s authentic and what\u2019s fabricated, increasing the risk of manipulation and misunderstanding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“How and why does misinformation spread?”<\/a> explains it perfectly. “…exposure to misinformation increases the odds that people will believe it<\/a>, which in turn increases the odds that they will spread it.” Hearing something that people align with is one likely factor as to why misinformation can unknowingly spread. When someone hears what they want to, they are more likely to want to believe it. Another key factor that relates to this is circular reporting. Circular reporting is a disinformation phenomenon where a piece of information appears to come from multiple independent sources, but actually originates from a single, often unverified or false source. This occurs oftentimes due to the validation that people receive when they hear other people repeating the same “facts” that they are. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This video explains how circular reporting can spread and talks about very real instances of this, such as the 1998 publication of a paper that claimed a routine vaccination of children causes autism, creating a movement for parents to not vaccinate their children. This paper has been discredited, but the movement and idea still stands today. <\/p>\n\n\n\n