Chapter 3 – Finding Your Voice and Making It Heard
3.6 How Influencers & Content Creators Distort Perceptions
Content creators are individuals or companies who produce and share various forms of content, such as videos, memes, and other posts, on social media. These creators often build a dedicated following by posting content that resonates with their target audience, which allows them to become influencers within their specific niche or industry. Influencers have the power to affect their followers’ opinions and decisions.
Just because someone has a popular podcast or TikTok account doesn’t mean they care about the facts or promote a nuanced view of a policy problems
Content creators often prioritize popularity, clicks, and revenue over accuracy and in-depth arguments. Negative content—focusing on fear, outrage, or conflict—and polarizing content—emphasizing extreme viewpoints—often outperform positive content. While this content is not always false, it can mislead and manipulate viewers by distorting reality.
Unfortunately, some content creators peddle misinformation and, worse, manufacture disinformation. Misinformation is incorrect or misleading information spread without the intent to deceive, often occurring when people share false information they believe to be true. Disinformation, on the other hand, is deliberately false information spread with the intent to deceive or manipulate. Disinformation is flat-out lying. Both can be harmful, but understanding the intent behind the information can help you better assess and respond to it.
Watch this video from CyberWise, a trusted educational resource on digital literacy, where they provide a clear explanation of what fake news is:
YouTube URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4o0B6IDo50
Duration: 3:34
Always approach online content critically, check sources, and be mindful of the impact of the content you engage with. This way, you can make more informed decisions and avoid contributing to the spread of false information.
Remember, just because a friend reposts something doesn’t mean it’s true. It’s important to verify information before believing or sharing it. When you spot content that you’re unsure about, fact-check it on websites like FactCheck.org, PolitiFact, and Snopes. These sites investigate and debunk false or misleading claims, rumors, and hoaxes across various topics, providing evidence-based and contextualized analysis with references to original sources.
Check out Snopes at: https://www.snopes.com/
