Seek Information beyond Your Filter Bubble
We can avoid fake news by leaving our filter bubbles and seeking out opinions that do not agree with our own. Comparing sources is always a good idea. Com- paring sources that illustrate different points of view can often give some context to the interpretation of the information being offered. If CNN says one thing about a news story, it is likely that Fox will also cover the same story. The differences between the two sto- ries will often identify the “middle ground” where the truth often lies.
We can subscribe to publications that specifically provide information opposite from what we would get on social media. Escape Your Bubble is an online pub- lication that gathers information about your political preferences and then provides you with information that comes from sources outside your political bub- ble. Its goal is to help people understand each other better. There are reasons why Republicans champion certain causes or hold certain opinions. They often do not agree with Democrats about the reasons a prob- lem exists or how to fix it. It’s good to get input from both sides in order to understand why people do what they do. Getting the facts from different perspectives can help to identify fake news.
Escape Your Bubble https://www.escapeyourbubble.com/
We all have biases and preferences. It is impor- tant to acknowledge those biases and to keep them in mind, especially when confronted with information that does not support what that bias tells us. We must work hard to overcome confirmation bias because without effort we tend to dismiss information that does not agree with what we already believe is true. By at least considering information that disagrees, we can make a more informed decision or form a reason- able opinion. This is something we need to remember and consider in this era of fake news.
Be Skeptical
Approach news with skepticism. The psychology lit- erature shows that in order to process information, we must initially accept or believe it. Just to make sense of something, the default is for the brain to believe it. It takes an additional (and more difficult) step to reject the information as false. As time passes, we tend to remember as true the first information we heard, read, or saw, even if it was not true and even if we know it was not true. The more times we hear
something, the better we remember it.17 So if we read, see, or hear fake news from a number of friends, fol- lowers, or bots, that information sticks in our memo- ries, even if it is not true and even if we know it is not true. Finally, if some information contradicts a dearly held belief, the normal reaction is to reject that infor- mation and to more firmly believe what we already believe. This psychological fact allows humans to pro- cess information, but it also makes us vulnerable to those who manipulate information. Remaining skepti- cal is one way to combat the biases and psychological preferences built into our brains, at least long enough to consider alternatives.