We are in a digital age where there is an avalanche of information at our finger tips. All you need is a smart phone, internet connectivity and voila! You can access all sort of information from many sources on the web.
In fact, the social media today has become a hub of information dissemination; creating and distributing varieties of contents ranging from videos, texts, photo and other art works.
However, not all information found on the internet are credible, some are fake and are intended to cause destruction or defame a character. Though, we have misinformation and disinformation which are both incorrect information.
The difference between the two is that; misinformation can sometimes be an “honest error” for instance; a story or news written by a media organization can have errors and it spreads organically before the organization comes to the knowledge of it. While disinformation is an intentionally wrong information created and distributed to cause chaos, confusion or make people believe a lie.
In simple terms, disinformation is a tactical weapon used in communication to sell a deliberate course or achieve a selfish purpose.
Hence, false information, news, digitally altered videos and photos are on the increase; causing a threat to world peace and stability. In a country such as Nigeria where the economy is still growing, and the internet usage keeps rising rapidly, fake news can cripple such a nation economically and otherwise.
In the last seven years, the number of internet users in Nigeria tripled to over 100 million users. So, you can guess the havoc fake news can do with such a number of internet active users.
From the explanation above, you will agree that in the past few weeks in Nigeria, we have witnessed the spread of misinformation and disinformation on social media especially, during the #EndSARS protests.
Fake news has become a digital disease and it spread has caused a lot of disorder to the country. We need to stop it for our own good before it kills us.
So here are tips to curb/stop the spread of false news or information.
• Do not engage in creating or spreading false information
• Double check/verify/ fact-check and reflect on the information before you post or share
• After verifying and you are not still sure? Please do not post
• Never be quick to share news and do not engage by liking and commenting on it.
• Visit the main source of the news to confirm the credibility of the information.
• If you have posted a fake news and you have been alerted by people, retract it before it reaches more people.
• Block and delete any source of fake news on your contact list or social media platforms
• Report and unfollow any social media page that dishes fake news.
Remember, one fake news or misinformation can spread faster and soil 10 real news. So, you must ensure you are an agent of change willing to combat fake information.
