Opinion: Disinformation, Don't Worry, America's Been Consuming It Forever. A Little More Won't Hurt.

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Information becomes knowledge and if we’re lucky experience. It’s what we use to make decisions every day of our lives

Weather and traffic reports. The stock market results. The price of BitCoin.

It’s everywhere. On our phones, computers, in the breakroom at work, or on YouTube, Instagram, and others.

But what if it’s wrong?

You’re told the freeways are clear – they’re not, so you’re late for work.

Your stock is trending up – good news about a company’s revenue. Only it’s false. You lose $10,000.

Your best friend tells you your wife is cheating – but she isn’t. The marriage becomes threatened.

There’s a level of trust that we’ve given over to information sources that they don’t deserve. Sources that don’t come from news outlets, backed by fact-checkers, driven through filters, and then double-checked before It’s sent out.

Social media isn't all that social

Social media has become our media. All of us.

We create most of its content.

It’s filled with our recommendations, images, reviews, and the latest updates after a concert. Our videos fill in the gaps, elicit likes, drum up business, and influence others.

All neatly configured and rearranged by algorithms.

We’re sharing information that has moved beyond entertainment or laughs.

Surveys revealed that the Daily Show on a comedy cable channel became a major source of information during prior election cycles.

Why?

Was it that we trusted Jon Stewart that much or that we mistrusted traditional sources more?

We know what happened after the 2016 election. The fake news. The fake headlines. The reports from senior government officials that originated somewhere east of Moscow and not in DC.

We found out all about these things after the elections were over. While heads were being scratched. Polls rechecked and blood pressure meds popped like candy.

The thing is we’re accustomed to being misinformed. It’s all around us.

The Hawaiian resort that in real life looks nothing like the online photos.

The Miracle car wax that isn’t miraculous at all.

Million-dollar commercials that tell us it’s crispier and tastier than it is. That it’s unbreakable – when it’s not.

We may mute the commercial more than we used to or pay extra so they’re not there at all, but we’re still influenced by what we see and read because it’s how we take in information.

Unfiltered.

We forward emails found in our inbox because they make us angry – only to find out they’re fake.

We retweet unbelievable stories to our friends, that really are unbelievable.

And we do it again the next day. Information ceases to inform and simply distracts.

With a meme, a video clip, or a celebrity endorsement, we click buy and move on.

Have we been groomed to believe what’s put before us simply because it’s from a reliable source?

Disinformation is false information deliberately spread to deceive people.

Cereal boxes designed like cartoons watched on Saturday morning end up on our kitchen tables for our children.

Processed meals in our shopping carts so families can spend more quality time together.

So, we vote for someone we wouldn’t elect as mayor of Smallville because it’s all about the information.

· Misinformation is a mistake – we’re told the movie starts at 7 when it started at 6.

· Disinformation is intentional – we're told the movie starts at 7, see you soon. But it’s actually not playing there at all. So, where did your friends go?

We’re too far into the cycle of disinformation through social media to expect it to be resolved by the platforms or those using them alone.

As much as we might not want to admit it, the cure for disinformation is vigilance and a willingness to fact-check everything that’s not from a source we believe in.

The alternative? Do nothing. Check your feed, click, and move on.