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Being open-minded and staying curious about life are great qualities to have. That way, you feel motivated to keep learning new things and staying up-to-date with the important things going on globally, from scientific breakthroughs and cultural tidbits to crucial events and more.

That’s where the ‘Facts’ social media project comes in. True to its title, the Instagram account shares some of the most intriguing insights about the world we live in. We’ve collected some of the most captivating facts the curators have recently featured to pique your interest. Scroll down to give your brain a workout.

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    #2

    Three smiling women from “The 9 Nanas” who secretly helped people in need for decades, showcasing fascinating acts of kindness.

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    Multa Nocte
    Community Member
    3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Think how much good people like Elon Musk could do if they had an organisation that did things like this.

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    The team running the ‘Facts’ project on Instagram is the ‘Memes Media Group’ which has a portfolio of more than 40 social brands with over 75 million followers, combined. Aside from the ‘Facts’ account, some of their other popular pages include ‘Memes,’ ‘Funny,’ ‘Guff,’ ‘Animal Memes,’ ‘Sarcasm Society,’ ‘Nostalgia,’ ‘Science,’ and ‘Cars.’

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    #4

    Cat saves abandoned baby in snow, keeping it warm and meowing for help.

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    Val
    Community Member
    3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Please tell me the kitty and baby are still together.

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    #5

    German soldiers in camouflage uniforms, focused on a document, highlighting a fact about disobeying orders violating human decency.

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    Tussilago
    Community Member
    3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Now let a lot of other countries do this. Japan, Israel, USA....

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    #6

    Finnish police officer discussing a speeding fine with driver, highlighting interesting income-based fines.

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    Emilu
    Community Member
    3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This is how the world needs to do it! I’m sick of seeing people in poverty needing to pay fines worth more than the money they get in a week.

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    On Instagram alone, the ‘Facts’ account, which invites everyone to “enlighten yourself with facts,” has a solid following of 1.1 million internet users who check in for the most captivating, informative, and entertaining new posts.

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    Originally, the ‘Facts’ account was created back in May of 2015. Previously, it was known as ‘Facts by Guff.’

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    In this day and age, when the majority of the people living on our planet have access to the internet and social media, it’s more important than ever to prioritize media literacy. In a nutshell, media literacy is a skill that empowers people to navigate the news environment in such a way that they can make informed decisions.

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    Media literacy allows someone to critically analyze the stories and claims they find in the mass media in order to determine to what extent the information presented is accurate or credible. There is a vast gulf between objective facts and someone’s very subjective (and probably biased) opinion that masquerades as the truth.

    #12

    Magnolia flower with text about their ancient pollination by beetles, highlighting fascinating facts about their history.

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    A good rule of thumb is to always be at least slightly skeptical of anything you stumble across on social media. It’s good to be open-minded, but the other half of that coin is curiosity—the willingness to dig a little deeper into the topic instead of just taking the first claim you stumble across for granted.

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    In essence, you want to embody the philosophy of a scientist who wants to get as close to the truth as possible.

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    Generally, claims made online that are incredibly emotionally charged and sound far too good or bad to be true might present a biased perspective. Someone might have an agenda to promote certain ideas or opinions while ignoring other facts that contradict their narrative.

    On the other hand, trustworthy sources will do their best to provide a fuller, nuanced, more complex picture of what’s going on.

    #16

    "Margaret Ann Bulkley and Dr. James Barry highlight fascinating facts about historical gender roles in medicine."

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    Katie not Middleton
    Community Member
    3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This submission is incorrect in photos. That is a picture of Florence Nightingale. Wrong picture and not Margaret.

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    Reliable, trustworthy news sources do their due diligence. They provide the sources they refer to so you can read them yourself, they correct any mistakes that they make, and they’re generally as transparent as possible. Meanwhile, the audience can and should double-check any iffy-sounding ‘facts’ online.

    However checking every claim yourself can be very time-consuming, especially if you have other responsibilities in life (work, studies, family, etc.), so it’s usually best to focus on figuring out what media outlets are the most (un)reliable. And though everyone makes mistakes, reliable outlets have higher quality reporting and their reporters are willing to amend their articles if they have misrepresented the truth.

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    According to Media Literacy Now, some of the potential areas where media messages can have negative impacts include online safety, misleading information, low self-esteem, mental health concerns, glamorizing risky behaviors, cyberbullying, negative body image, stereotype reinforcement, and screen overuse.

    #23

    Shark swimming in deep green water, highlighting its survival through four mass extinctions, older than humanity.

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    Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het
    Community Member
    3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Ancient shark, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo. Ancient shark, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo. Ancient shark!

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    Verywell Mind notes that children as young as 12 years old can be trained to recognize bias in media depictions of race and ethnicity and understand the harm it can cause. Media literacy can, in effect, make people more sensitive to prejudice and teach them to appreciate diversity.

    What’s more, media literacy can reduce body dissatisfaction which can result from the consumption of media messages. Media literacy training could also help prevent eating disorders in high-risk individuals.

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    On top of that, media literacy can help everyone get better at detecting so-called ‘fake news’ and find which media claims are truthful or not. Being more aware of how media, biases, facts, and opinions interact can also make you less likely to reshare false information that you come across online. It’s usually best to do at least some research before reposting any claim you find.

    At the end of the day, media literacy is about empowering the individual so that they can cut through the noise, enjoy media more, give them more control, and improve their health and happiness.

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    #30

    Child in a dinosaur costume sits against a green background, highlighting fascinating facts about intelligence.

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    Kira Okah
    Community Member
    3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    So, what is everyone's favourite dinosaur? Mine is Iguanodon.

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    Which of the facts featured here in this list caught your attention the most, dear Pandas? Which ones genuinely surprised you and motivated you to learn more about the topic? Were there any facts that you actually knew before opening this post?

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    What one fact about the world would you want absolutely everyone to know if you could share it with the planet? Share your thoughts below!