Just because a meme or article has the same view as you doesn’t make it true! I have seen several meme-type posts and “news” articles shared recently on social media that gave me pause and made me wonder about the legitimacy of what they said. After doing just a little research – sometimes a VERY little amount is needed (seriously, like a google search and one click, or just actually reading the article and then looking around the site it was posted on) – it becomes obvious that the post being shared fits somewhere on the spectrum of misleading to downright lies. So, then it I have to question why this was ever shared. In some cases, it has been shared A LOT. Why would anyone share something that is, in many cases obviously and in all cases easily confirmed to be, untruthful?
Laziness?
Could it just be that people are too lazy to bother to check the facts of something before they share it? Or even to actually read the article that had a good headline? Maybe, it is unfair to label this laziness. I know, everyone is busy.
Ignorance?
I’m not trying to be mean. I know calling someone ignorant is a common insult, but I don’t mean it that way. I mean it in the true definition of the word:
ignorant [ig-ner-uh nt] –
1. lacking in knowledge or training
2. lacking knowledge or information as to a particular subject or fact
So, maybe they simply are lacking enough knowledge about the topic of which they are sharing to understand why this particular piece may be incorrect. Maybe they have not received training in questioning the validity of statements. Maybe they have little knowledge of where to find answers to questions that may arise or how to research the statements they sharing.
Who cares? It makes my point!
Maybe they simply do not care if is true, because it says what they want it to say! My sincere hope is that this is not the case for anyone showing up in my social network feeds. However, I am certain there are people out there for who this is one hundred percent true. They simply MUST make a point about their beliefs, and this meme makes that point perfectly. The fact that it may be a complete fabrication makes no difference, as long as it demonstrates how they feel. Again, I do not believe I have anyone in my social circles like this, but I am also very sure they exist out there.
Cognitive Bias!
While I personally feel that both ignorance and laziness must play at least a small part in these situations, the biggest reason for these kinds of things being shared is probably Cognitive Bias. Primarily, this comes in the form of confirmation bias which is the tendency to interpret new evidence as confirmation of one’s existing beliefs or theories. With confirmation bias, when they see something that confirms their belief’s there is no need to question it. This gets paired with one of my favorite phenomena that I only recently discovered had a name, the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon. This phenomenon occurs when the thing you’ve just noticed, experienced or been told about suddenly crops up constantly. And of course, let’s not forget the social media algorithms that help drive this phenomenon, as well.
Put it all together
So, let’s look at how this works:
- A person has a belief that has been brought to the forefront of their mind because of some recent event, either personal or global. The larger scale the event, the more prevalent, due to the compounding effect of this situation.
- Suddenly, the person starts to notice things coming up in their feed that mirror their belief. (The Baader-Meinhof phenomenon) If there is a major event spurring this on, there are probably some things that oppose their belief, as well.
- Social media and the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon reward the person for liking, commenting, sharing, and just generally agreeing with the certain sentiments and ignoring others by making it seem like all the see are posts saying what they believe.
- Pretty soon, there is so much information confirming what they believe that it MUST be true. (Confirmation Bias)
- When they see something new that rings with so much truth for them because of the cognitive biases at work, they share it. There is no reason to fact check (laziness?), because it must be true (ignorance?), because it FEELS TRUE to them (confirmation bias).
What to do
So, what can you do when you start to see this kind of thing all over your social media feeds? Apparently, I write a blog post about it. However, I’m not sure what good that does. Then again, I’m not sure what good anything will do. I’m honestly not sure how good anything on social media is anymore. But, anyway…
You can definitely write something long-form like I have and post it somewhere: a personal blog, Medium, social media accounts, telephone poles, bus stops, etc. I don’t know what kind of benefit may come from doing something like this (maybe I’ll let you know). However, for me at least, it has been a little cathartic, so there is that.
You can comment on posts that fit into this category and just mention that maybe they aren’t entirely accurate. I have done this from time to time with varying results. But, I don’t really comment on many posts in general, so I don’t know that I want to become the “fact-check guy” that only comments on people’s posts when they have shared something that doesn’t check out. (Or maybe I do. Maybe we need an army of “fact-check guys and gals” out there in social media.)
If you have a repeat offender in your feed, you can remove them from your feed, or at least hide them for a while on some platforms. I have done this, too. Unless they are someone on who’s post you often interact and all of a sudden you completely stop, most of the time they will not even notice. Of course, there is a risk here, as well. If the posts you are removing from you feed are primarily ones that disagree with your beliefs or views you are simply helping the social media algorithm bolster your own cognitive bias. You are helping to insure that the only views you see are your own.
Conclusion
In the end, I don’t know if there is a truly beneficial reaction to these kinds of posts. For me the key is to be aware and to ask questions about what they say, for myself. If I feel like it will be taken in the spirit that it is intended; to help them think about what they are posting and be a logical, thinking user of the internet, then I may engage with the poster. If not, I won’t, and over time I will probably question if it continues to be relevant for me to view the things they post.
If you are reading this, especially if you actually made it to the end, I simply ask that you pay attention and think before you share something. No matter how much something fits with your values or beliefs. No matter how true something feels. Ask yourself how much you actually know about what is being said. Look and see if there is a way to learn more about the “truth” that is being expressed or the source from where it comes. Spend a little time before you hit the share button and ask yourself if someone commented on it, would you be able to defend what the post says? It is entirely possible that a little research will prove the point and make you a more informed sharer. Or, you may find flaws in what is said and decide not to share. You may even learn enough to be able to share something even better! No matter the case, you will have just gained actual knowledge on a topic that you were previously unfamiliar. From where I stand there is very little with greater benefit than learning something new.
Photo by Photo Lily on Unsplash