Thursday, October 19, 2017

Study on truth and misinformation

A survey of leading technologists and social scientists about their outlook on the future of online information. Experts are evenly split on whether the coming decade will see a reduction in false and misleading narratives online. Those forecasting improvement place their hopes in technological fixes and in societal solutions. Others think the dark side of human nature is aided more than stifled by technology. Five themes emerged:
  • The information environment will not improve: The problem is human nature.
  • The information environment will not improve because technology will create new challenges that can’t or won’t be countered effectively and at scale.
  • The information environment will improve because technology will help label, filter or ban misinformation and thus upgrade the public’s ability to judge the quality and veracity of content.
  • The information environment will improve, because people will adjust and make things better.
  • Tech can’t win the battle. The public must fund and support the production of objective, accurate information. It must also elevate information literacy to be a primary goal of education

Anderson, J., & Rainie, L. (2017). The future of truth and misinformation online. Washington, DC: Pew Research Center.
http://www.pewinternet.org/2017/10/19/the-future-of-truth-and-misinformation-online/

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