Not everything you see online is going to be true, even if it’s shown to you like it’s a piece of news. Misinformation can include fake news, clickbait, or ragebait.
Ragebait in particular is often created to make people feel extremely angry or upset about a topic, a group of people, or a world event.
To get people to engage with their content, or agree with their worldview, lots of people exaggerate or lie about things online. You can see this in the news, or in content posted by influencers. Both of these sources can have strong biases. And seeing too much of these biases can lead to us ending up in echo chambers – where we only hear one side of a story.
It’s important to know about misinformation because it can have a really negative impact on us. It can lead to making poorly informed decisions, believing incorrect advice, or spreading false narratives. By being aware of misinformation, we can help ourselves and the world we live in feel better informed, less divided, and more resilient.