He Said, She Said

Sophee Sanderson @socialsophee

Have you ever been gossiping with someone and they tell you something that sounds questionable or absolutely ridiculous? Depending on the person, you are probably either quick or hesitant to believe them. When you obtain information from someone, what factors help you to determine if you trust them?

If I hear gossip from my mom or sister, I usually believe them because they seem to know a lot more than me! However, if I hear gossip from a certain friend, I might question their source or ask more questions to confirm the truth.

Now, think about how quickly gossip spreads and the impact that rumors have in shaping people's opinion. I remember in elementary school when girls would purposely spread false rumors about other girls, so that boys would think they were weird. This type of spread of misinformation was intentional and it shaped the boy's opinions on the girls. 

This is the same thing that happens with the spread of misinformation in our every day world in media, journalism, science and history.

In chapter six of "Misinformation and Mass Audiences," Melanie Green and John Donahue discuss the effects of false information in news stories. They define misinformation as "incorrect or misleading information presented as facts" and they propose two types: unintentional and intentional. 

Unintentional misinformation happens as a result of poor fact checking or inadequate reporting to quickly get breaking news to audiences. Minor errors can often be corrected without consequences, but sometimes flawed reporting can get picked up by other media outlets, amplifying audience reach. Sometimes errors come from the source, who is either lying or misinformed. 

Intentional misinformation is intentionally reported false information and it may be created for political or financial gain. You might wonder why authors and reporters would deliberately report false news. Just like the mean girls in elementary school, there is motivation for fame, status, money or personal gain. 

Even when rumors are proven false, it is still hard to change people's minds and convince them of the truth. One time, a girl in the bathroom stall next to me was spreading a rumor about how this guy was known to be a cheater and I believed it for weeks (and spread it to my friends too)... but why? Without even seeing this girls face, I trusted what I overheard to be real. The only factor that played a part in my quickness to believe her was girl code and of course I am responsible for spreading this misinformation, even though it was unintentional. Luckily, this silly little rumor didn't have any major consequences as it fizzled out on its own, but the spread of misinformation in the news has much greater effects as it shapes people's opinions based on incorrect information. 

This increased dissemination and acceptance of misinformation produces a deluded public and has unhealthy consequences on society as a whole. Unfortunately, fixing misinformation is a difficult task. Green and Donahue suggest fighting misinformation with detailed narratives to improve cognitive connections. Another effective solution would be to prevent or diminish misinformation before it is broadcasted to the public. NPR suggests being more skeptical, depending less on social media and looking more into what you are reading or viewing to spot misinformation. 

However, people are not always eager to fix their false beliefs and misinformation can create unfavorable attitudes toward the conniver. Changing people's opinions greatly depends on their level of trust in the source to their feelings of skepticism.

Next time you consume information from broadcasted news, social media, online articles or people, try to figure out the direct source and consider how the stories and "facts" you hear could have just been picked up he said, she said from the bathroom stall next to you.