THREAD. ๐งต
We live in the age of disinformation. The pervasiveness of false information and the role of technology in enabling it are well documented. This thread is about understanding the mindset of people who believe and fall prey to bad information. 1/9 โ
2/..A 2018 Pew Research Center study asked people to identify whether a statement is making a factual claim or expressing an opinion. The study found that many people couldn't do this. They were unable to tell facts from opinions. 2/9 โ
3/..When asked to sort out opinion statements from factual claims, many people in the Pew study labelled opinions they agreed with as "factual" and labelled factual statements as "opinions" if they thought it was inaccurate or didn't like it. 3/9 โ
4/..When a person can't distinguish fact from opinion, they're more vulnerable to misinformation. For some, "truth" is a concept that's less about evidence and more about what they feel in their gut. Some religions contribute to this by the way they teach about faith. 4/9 โ
5/..Faith is sometimes taught in a way that trains people to treat the beliefs of their religion as proven facts. This is harmful, and not all religions do it. When taught correctly, faith is about choosing to believe in something that you know isn't a proven fact. 5/9 โ
6/..Faith is believing in something that can't be proven or disproven. People who understand this can have faith without rejecting knowledge or denying facts. But what about those who cling to disproven beliefs? What happens when people lose the very definition of faith? 6/9 โ
7/..When faith isn't taught well, people end up with a concept of truth that has little to do with evidence or proof. This makes it hard for them to learn what a fact is. Such people are susceptible to misinformation and will cling to a belief even when it's proven false. 7/9 โ
8/..Facts and reasoning are vital for resolving conflicts peacefully. Solutions are impossible when one side feels entitled to their own "truth" regardless of evidence. Things can escalate into violence. Diplomacy doesn't work when you're dealing with fanatics. 8/9 โ
9/..The Pew study shows how vital it is for media literacy to be part of every child's education. Every child needs to learn how to evaluate information, recognize bias, and understand the difference between fact and opinion. For adults who never learned, it may be too late. 9/9
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