Misinformation

Misinformation is false or inaccurate information that people spread. In most cases it is shared without intent to deceive; the person distributing it may believe it to be true. It can occur in spoken conversation, in news media, and on social media.

The term is often distinguished from 'disinformation', which is false information deliberately created to promote a political, commercial, or military goal. The difference between the two lies in the intent of the distributor, which is observable but cannot always be verified with certainty.

How it spreads

The spread of misinformation is enabled by several factors. Surprising or novel information is quickly shared by large numbers of people. The algorithmic systems of social media platforms amplify content that receives high engagement, which does not necessarily correlate with accuracy. When official information is scarce—during a disaster or election, for example—people fill the gap with unverified reports.

Types

Misinformation takes various forms: authentic images or video given a different meaning, out-of-context statistics, misleading headlines that diverge from the article text, and entirely fabricated reports. There is also 'malinformation', which involves true information circulated in a way that causes harm, such as the disclosure of private data.

Countermeasures

Common approaches include fact-checking, labeling of disputed content, reducing the reach of false reports, and media literacy education in schools. Research has shown that misinformation sometimes does not fully reverse prior beliefs; for this reason, it is recommended that accurate information be provided beforehand.