Misinformation: What You Need to Know to Stay Informed

Misinformation is everywhere, spreading through schools and communities like a forest fire. From small things, such as the myth that carrots improve your vision, to larger things, such as AI videos published to damage someone’s name. Misinformation can bring danger into everyone’s life.

Alyson Battistel, a social studies, government, and psychology teacher at Milwaukie High School says, “You have to be careful when taking in information.” She believes you have to ask yourself, “What is the perspective? Is there an agenda here?”

“Fear is the easiest way to get people riled up, one way or another,” says Battistel.

Battistel believes that some misinformation is willful, and people intentionally look for information that fits their agenda. She views misinformation as dangerous because it makes it hard to know what is real and what’s not. 

Online, people can appear completely harmless, but you can never know who is hiding behind the screen. Even unintentional misinformation is dangerous, and it spreads quickly. “We can’t just trust one source anymore…you have to dig deeper,” says Battistel. “It’s overwhelming and exhausting.”

Social media, such as Instagram or Twitter, news stations, such as Fox and CNN, and social influences from friends, family, celebrities, and politicians are all major influences on the information we take in, and it isn’t always easy to tell what’s real.

“It’s more work to not produce misinformation,” Battistel says.

Battistel feels a sense of responsibility when it comes to sharing information. She says that if she’s a trustworthy person, it feels risky to repost info without verifying.

Hesitance about trusting information on social media is also felt by students. Evelyn Williams, a junior at Milwaukie Academy of the Arts, says social media is dangerous because of the sheer amount of people it reaches. 

She says that this leads to fear-mongering, which is “used to make societies conform to one idea.” Williams believes that fear-mongering and excessive spread of information cause real-life impacts, and these can manifest in the upcoming youth.

“When it comes time for [graduates] to vote and make changes, they have skewed information… Things are altered to make them believe a certain thing,” Williams says.

In addition to misinformation in society and politics, it also makes school harder for students. Williams talks about how widespread AI has become and how it has become common, suggesting that some people can’t write 2,000 words on their own anymore.

This is frustrating for Williams and many other students. She says that systems to find reliable sources do not work anymore, and the information never feels accurate.

Michael Petersen, an English teacher at Milwaukie High School, also acknowledges the fast spread of inaccurate information, especially when fear is involved.

“Once it’s out, it’s hard to get back in,” he says.

Misinformation dangerously causes confusion, which he says “sows the seeds of distrust in all forms of information.” This means that accurate information can be dismissed due to people feeling mistrustful.

Misinformation spreads the fastest through the internet, which has created the ability to search for everything in one question. This may seem like a superpower, but being unable to differentiate between real and false information leads to people becoming cynical.

“If you can’t trust anything, you begin to shut everything out,” says Petersen.

Battistel agrees and believes that misinformation leads to detachment. She expresses how tiring it is to constantly wonder who’s telling the truth, who’s lying, and who you can trust.

“It’s the danger that breeds apathy,” Battistel says. 

This is a common response to fear, but it leaves people feeling hopeless and lost.

So what can be done?

“If you’re scared of something, you’re just going to try to get away from it. I don’t think that’s efficient,” says Williams. 

The shift of emotion between feeling happiness during a good day to feeling a crushing anxiety when you’re reminded about politics or world affairs can be too big a burden for anyone to bear.

The most critical thing that can be done to combat misinformation is to find trusted and reliable sources. Petersen emphasizes the importance of students finding and keeping track of trusted sources, while also being open to opinions that may differ from their own. 

Petersen also acknowledges the significance of avoiding personal biases and keeping an open mind, urging students to navigate the information thrown at them.

As a student, Williams believes in the importance of self-education and independence to best prepare for the future.

“It’s really important that you’re making your own choices, rather than following what everyone around you is doing,” she says.

She believes students can do this through personal research and taking charge of their own opinions and choices.

Educating yourself is a direct way to battle misinformation, but there are other ways to find happiness and stability during challenging times.

Focusing on everything can be draining and unrealistic, so Battistel recommends putting energy into what you can personally fix and the things you care about: “You can either get bogged down in all of the doom and gloom, or you can be active about it.”

She encourages volunteering, planting trees, donating money, or even doing things as simple as focusing on spreading kindness.

Battistel also represents the importance of social studies classes, believing that understanding history and its patterns can offer comfort to students, creating a feeling of understanding that we’ve been through and survived hard times before.

“It’s about progress,” she says. “As long as we are going in a generally progressive direction, that’s what gives me hope.”

Misinformation spreads rapidly, and it can feel like it’s burning down everything in its path. But rather than being overwhelmed by the flames, it’s important to find a way to control or manage the fire.

“We know everything’s there,” Petersen says. “It’s a matter of being more aware and vigilant of the information that comes at you.”