Navigating Infodemic & Mis/disinformation: A Guide for Bhutanese Youth

08/03/2022

02/02/2022

What is Misinformation, Disinformation, and Malinformation?

31/01/2022

Spotting Misinformation and Disinformation

11/01/2022

07/01/2022

......Continued.......

03/01/2022

Consequences of mis&disinformation continued

02/01/2022

Continued....

31/12/2021

The Board of Directors and the Secretariat of Bhutan Media Foundation, would like to wish everyone a very happy new year. With the beginning of a new year comes new promises, resolutions, and life decisions. May the year 2022 unfold with abundance of happiness, success, love and blessings for the nation and its citizen.

30/12/2021

Consequences of Misinformation and Disinformation

*P.S: To be continued.

29/12/2021

When does it go viral?
A false information will immediately go viral if the one who shares it is a popular figure or has a lot of followers on social media.

The BBC quotes a study by the University of Oxford’s Reuters Institute which found that only 20% of fake news stories were produced or shared by famous public figures, these posts made up nearly 70% of the total engagements on social media. These “super-spreaders” can easily amplify false information online, which their followers are likely to trust as they look up to them.

But false information can also become viral through groups like family and friends. In the process of spreading, the false information could be endorsed by popular people or even formal information sources, making it more viral.

26/12/2021

Where could false information come from: the source?
According to the BBC, fake news could start as a misinformation or as a disinformation. It could be a misheard or misquote from a real news; made up to make money or clicks for a website; designed to promote a person, party or point of view; or misunderstood from a joke or parody post and taken as a fact.
How does the sharing start?
Sharing of false information usually starts in small and trusted networks like a family social media group or a group of like-minded people. People are more likely to share information shared by a family member or a friend because they trust them. Then they, in turn, share it with the people they trust and the move spirals on making it viral in the social media.

Sometimes, this process is helped by bots (fake accounts programmed to spread a story to as many people as possible) and trolls (real accounts who like to harass and intimidate other people online), who aim to push fake news onto lots of social media timelines. They might do this for money, political gain, or even just for fun.

23/12/2021

Types of information disorder

22/12/2021

Infodemic: An overabundance of information. An abundance of information include false and misleading information. An infodemic normally involves a large increase in the volume of information on a given topic, which increases exponentially in a short time when incidents like Covid-19 pandemic occurs.
Disinfodemic: The spread of misinformation and disinformation. It is more toxic and deadlier than disinformation about other subject.

20/12/2021

When it concerns the majority, YOU cannot be an exemption!

15/12/2021

*Must know........
Misinformation: misleading information created or shared without the intention to manipulate people often shared because the user believes it to be true. It could be a word-of-mouth gossip, harmless jokes, pranks, official and unofficial information, and it could take various manifestations.

Disinformation: misleading information created or shared with the intention to manipulate people with dishonest information. Thus, it is a deliberate propaganda. If left unchecked, disinformation could create confusion among the public, fuel political polarization, create misunderstandings, and promote distrust in the political system and democratic institutions.

14/12/2021

This is the era to fit into media ecology and one must be conscious. An infodemic is associated with social media platforms. Choose the right one to avoid misleading information.

13/12/2021

*Access to Quality Information Matters

Right information moves everything positively forward in this world. False information would just do the opposite. Right information is the foundation for knowledge. The right to the freedom of expression is a universal right and it becomes meaningful and helpful for societies only when the information is right.

Information now flows swiftly, often, and even uncontrollably online. Because there is so much information on the internet, determining what is correct may be challenging. It's becoming increasingly tough to obtain false information. Even internet businesses and news organizations have vested interests in controlling and regulating the flow of information. So, follow the authentic platforms for information.

Omicron, the new COVID-19 variant is all around the corner and people are requested to be conscious while choosing to be informed. According to the WHO, the chances of the Omicron form spreading farther throughout the world are high. However,
-Masks provide protection against all types of viruses.
-Tests can tell you if you are currently infected with COVID-19.