54 People So Dumb You Might Feel Your IQ Drop After Reading Their Posts (New Pics)

The fact that we all inevitably make mistakes is no excuse to post and reshare whatever you come across on social media. We’re all responsible for making the global digital environment a more trustworthy place with less misinformation and disinformation. But that’s easier said than done, especially with so many malicious actors, biases, competing agendas, and bots online.

Disinformation is when someone deliberately makes up a false claim for a specific purpose. Meanwhile, misinformation is false content that is accidentally shared by people who don’t know that the information is inaccurate, the BBC explains.

As per the BBC, there are various reasons why someone might spread false information. For instance, they might have misheard or misquoted a claim from a real piece of news. Or they might have misunderstood a joke or a parody post, believing it to be fact.

Furthermore, someone might intentionally spread false info just to make money or drive attention to their website. Or they are paid to promote a specific person, point of view, or political party.

Broadly speaking, when we come across information that matches our own beliefs, we’re much more likely to believe that it's true. This is known as confirmation bias. On the other hand, even if the info isn’t something that we usually believe, if it is shocking enough, it might use our emotions against us, driving us to share it with others online.

According to the BBC, sharing false information tends to start in small and trusted networks before spreading more widely.

“These might be groups on messaging apps like a family chat, or social media pages and groups full of like-minded members. We all trust our family and friends, so when they send something on to us that might contain false information, we’re more likely to believe them—and then in turn share it with others that we trust too. Imagine a web of contacts slowly getting larger as fake news is passed between different trusted networks; that’s how the sharing starts,” the BBC explains.

The spread of misinformation and disinformation is sometimes helped along by bots (fake accounts) and trolls (real accounts of people who enjoy harassing and intimidating others). “They might do this for money, political gain, or even just for fun,” the BBC notes.

If someone with a large online following notices false information and then decides to share it, it then goes even more viral. These individuals have a lot of power to amplify false narratives.

As per a study by the University of Oxford’s Reuters Institute, just 20% of fake news stories were produced or shared by famous public figures, but these posts made up nearly 70% of the total engagements on social media.

That’s not to say that non-influencers don’t have much of an impact. They do. Sharing misinformation among your close family and friends raises the probability that it will then be picked up by news outlets and spill over into the public.

Some news outlets are so desperate for clicks and popularity that they won’t double-check the information they publish it.

The American Psychological Association seconds the BBC’s point that people are more likely to share misinformation when it aligns with their beliefs or when it is shocking. Namely, individuals tend to spread misinfo when it matches their personal identity or social norms, and when it elicits strong emotions. On top of that, people tend to spread false claims when the info is novel.

And, like with any information, the more it is repeated, the more likely you are to believe it (even if you’re educated).

“Exposure to misinformation increases the odds that people will believe it, which in turn increases the odds that they will spread it,” the APA explains.

“At the same time, people do not necessarily need to believe misinformation in order to spread it; people may share information they know is false to signal their political affiliation, disparage perceived opponents, or accrue social rewards,” the APA stresses.

The difference between legacy media (TV, radio, newspapers), mainstream news outlets, and social media is that the latter often doesn’t have robust safeguards and encourages viral content with low oversight.

“Rapid publication and peer-to-peer sharing allow ordinary users to distribute information quickly to large audiences, so misinformation can be policed only after the fact (if at all).”

What’s more, people tend to find themselves isolated in ‘echo chamber’ communities with similar views.

In the meantime, social media algorithms tend to prioritize information that evokes negative emotions, such as anger and outrage.

The best thing that anyone can do before resharing anything they come across online is to slow down, take a breather, and think about the reliability of the claim and the source.

Trustworthy outlets fact-check their information, are transparent about their sources and where they get their data from, have strict editing guidelines, hire people with records of exemplary work, and will correct any mistakes that they make.

Meanwhile, untrustworthy sources tend to sensationalize or outright make up events to fit some sort of agenda or to get more clicks. They care less about the truth and more about making their audience feel a certain way.

A good rule of thumb is to be slightly skeptical of any source that toys with your emotions, presents the world as black-and-white despite its complexity, and supports all of your beliefs.

If you accidentally share or post something false or dumb on social media, the healthiest course of action would be to set your ego aside and apologize. Take responsibility for your mistake, vow to do better, and actually put that into practice in the future.

Embracing failure and admitting that you messed up might be embarrassing, but it’s also a sign of maturity. Paradoxically, it makes you seem more down-to-earth, relatable, and likable. On the flip side, if you deny that you made a mistake, get defensive, and stick to the false info you spread, you’re only pushing people away.

Be honest, which of these posts genuinely made you cringe the hardest? How good are you at weathering secondhand embarrassment?

What do you do to stay as accurate and factual as you can when posting online? How do you react when you come across blatantly dumb or malicious posts on social media? Tell us all about it in the comments!