Misinformation Cascades
This article discusses the spread of misinformation in the internet age. The author notes how, in the past, humans received information from a few well-vetted media sources. Now, we take in information from a nearly innumerable amount of sources which are not regulated in any meaningful manner.
This relates to the course material as it explains how information cascades about relevant issues on foreign & domestic policy, medical information, etc., can occur based on illegitimate information. A huge amount of people are now constantly exposed to false, misleading, or otherwise un-vetted information which, in the past, would have failed to pass through media organizations’ internal checks and filters. Now, this information is seen by many who take it as reputable and spread the information. The resulting cascades of misinformation have enormous repercussions as they quickly disseminate false information to large amounts of the populace. This is becoming an increasingly large issue as false information sources are becoming better and better at appearing reputable. Contemporary “Deep Fake” videos can be indistinguishable from real video, even under scrutiny. As these technologies become more available and widespread, the credibility of information falls deeper into risk.
Perfect-looking false information and the phenomena of information cascades can lead to false information easily diffusing into public knowledge and an undermining of basic credibility. Modern technology makes information more accessible than ever, but it does the same for misinformation. Malevolent individuals and organizations can take advantage of technology and information cascades to spread falsehoods or sow distrust in media organizations.