Think Before You Share (thread) #cybersecurity #SocialMedia #scam #CriticalThinking #CyberSecurityAwareness
Things to think about before you share something on social media:
A few basic questions to ask before sharing anything you did not write yourself, especially something you found on social media:
A few basic questions to ask before sharing anything you did not write yourself, especially something you found on social media:
(1) Who wrote this?
(2) When was it written? Is it still current?
(3) What do you know about the author (not the person who shared it, the *author*) that makes them a trustworthy source? What conflicts of interest do they have?
(2) When was it written? Is it still current?
(3) What do you know about the author (not the person who shared it, the *author*) that makes them a trustworthy source? What conflicts of interest do they have?
Advanced questions:
(4) Does the person who shared it have a habit of sharing things from untrustworthy sources, or sharing links to articles they haven't actually read?
(5) Does a quick web search for a quoted chunk of the text lead to a lot of hoax and scam warnings?
(4) Does the person who shared it have a habit of sharing things from untrustworthy sources, or sharing links to articles they haven't actually read?
(5) Does a quick web search for a quoted chunk of the text lead to a lot of hoax and scam warnings?
(6) If it's attributed to a trusted public entity, can you find a link to where they actually said it? (E.g., it should be easy to find any medical advice "from the Mayo Clinic" on their website, mayoclinic.org - and if so you should include the link when sharing.)
(7) Are you resharing it in a way that makes it easier, or harder, for people to verify it for themselves? If you're pasting text or a screen shot, are you linking back to your source also?
And for further thought:
(8) Who benefits from this information being read and believed? If it's true? If it's false? If it's a mix of true and false?
(9) Is it easy to tell what's fact and what's opinion? Are facts presented in a way that makes them easy to verify?
(8) Who benefits from this information being read and believed? If it's true? If it's false? If it's a mix of true and false?
(9) Is it easy to tell what's fact and what's opinion? Are facts presented in a way that makes them easy to verify?
In case you're wondering who I am and if I really wrote this, (1) congrats, you get the point, and (2) I put a copy at linkedin.com/pulse/think-be… . I've been online since 1984 and debunking garbage almost as long.
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