How to Identify and Combat Weaponized Disinformation in the Digital Era
The technological revolution, with its explosion of data and far reaching accessibility, has forever changed the way humanity consumes information. Whereas once upon a time, before the days of the World Wide Web, information (along with accessibility) was limited; those days are now long gone. Today, humanity is constantly barraged with digital information. Whether it is the overwhelming surplus of questionable content or clickbait that serves no other purpose than driving traffic for the sake of sales, there’s certainly no shortage of information in the modern era anymore. The problem now is the quality of said content, the intent by which it was crafted and the purpose it serves. In fact, a recent piece in the prestigious peer-reviewed publication, Nature, highlighted an author who helped expose widespread corruption in major industries ranging from big tobacco to the pharmaceutical industry and its greed-driven opioid epidemic [1]. A closer look at their findings elucidates just how pressing the need is for greater awareness and more strategies to help the world at large identify and combat weaponized disinformation.
Whistleblower’s New Book Exposes Just How Widespread The Weaponization of Disinformation Has Become
In the aforementioned Nature article Truth Decay: When Uncertainty is Weaponized, the author opens by echoing the infamous term “alternative facts” by President Trump’s confidant and political advisor, Kelleyanne Conway to signify entering a “new era of Orwellian doublethink” [1]. Indeed, as a clinical biologist and scientific content creator myself, the term “alternative facts” does more than make me cringe. Unfortunately, the issue at hand is far more widespread than the occasional deceitful article or sales copy. In fact, the Nature piece describes in detail the work of whistleblower David Michaels and his investigation about the “corporate denial industry” in his book The Triumph of Doubt [1]. In his book, epidemiologist and former safety regulator, David Michaels, provides an “excoriating” account of just how deep the rabbit hole goes in regards to major corporations abusing their powers by being complicit in the crafting and dissemination of doubt and deceit to further profits.
Awareness and Healthy Skepticism Are Just The First Steps
From the behemoth that has become big tobacco to the seemingly immortal fossil fuel industry and even the chemicals found in non-stick coatings, Michaels helps elucidate the fact that nobody is safe from the fallout caused by corporate greed and it’s artful ability to spin “bad science” in an effort to deceive the general public into purchasing their products and services. While Michaels brave literary endeavor has certainly shone some much needed light on these unsavory truths, his discovery is just the first step in cultivating meaningful, lasting change in corporate practices. Change can only happen when the masses are awakened and made aware of this widespread deception and are empowered with the adequate tools to think more critically.
How To Empower People to Think Critically & Identify Deceitful Digital Content
There are several techniques one can employ to try and think more critically and cultivate a much needed, healthy dose of skepticism in this day and age. When it comes to digital content — especially that which relates to science/medicine and our health — exercising these techniques can eventually help everyone become better and more consciously selective consumers of digital information for the betterment of mankind. For instance, this clinical biologist and scientific writer believes strongly in providing adequate, peer-reviewed citations within the text of the article, as well as at the end in the works cited. I personally make the effort (along with the scrupulous Intelligent Speculation team) to solely use high-quality scientific publications that have ideally had their findings successfully reproduced in a credible and ethical fashion. Here are 9 simple steps everyone can take to critically evaluate and establish the credibility of digital information in the modern age.
9 Steps for Establishing Credibility of Information Presented by Intelligent Speculation
Look for Independent Confirmation of Facts
Look for the same factual information and claims coming from multiple, independent sources who are intimately familiar with the subject. While this will not always be possible, consistency among scientific claims across several credible sources certainly strengthens the claim.
Seek Out Expert Dialogue On The Subject
Science progresses when scientists and other experts disagree and discuss ideas surrounding the meaning of experiments. Many theories in science, which we now accept, were once not accepted by a vast majority of experts. Hearing out a balanced dialogue between experts on the subject nature will naturally help cultivate better critical thinking skills as well!
Understand Authorities May Be Mistaken
It’s a common misconception in the practice of critical thinking to assume that because the information comes from a recognized authority, not an expert*, that it must be true. In fact, this type of logical fallacy has a name and is known as the argument from authority fallacy. However, there are several reasons a “recognized authority” may be wrong, including the fact they may be relying on outdated information, have a particular bias and/or may be skewing the facts due to financial incentives.
*Note that the difference between an authority and an expert is often subtle. An authority makes the argument that because of their position of superiority, they must be correct whereas an expert is someone who has proven and documented experience in the subject at hand. Experts have shown that they deserve our attention on pertinent matters while authorities tend to demand it. Of course, it is possible for an authority to be an expert on a subject as well, but this is not always the case.
Consider Competing Explanations for Claims
It is important to consider other potential hypotheses that may help elucidate a particular claim. In the practice of developing better critical thinking skills, exposing oneself to various potential hypotheses will allow one to reach a more wholesome and complete conclusion for them. This is especially important since many people have the tendency to cling to the first hypothesis they’re presented with and then fail to consider other explanations.
Don’t Take Arguments Personally — Leave Emotions Out of It!
It is important to remember that an argument is solely a statement of premises and a conclusion drawn from them. It’s not a fight and treating it like one tends to very quickly lead to a communication breakdown as heated emotions get involved. This is antithetical to the concept of critical thinking as becoming overly attached to one particular hypothesis causes a sense of “cognitive tunnel vision” leading to an interruption of your metacognition. As such, the emotional individual may miss the truth because their emotions are interfering with their ability to think critically. This can lead to confirmation bias and is characterized by the implicit tendency to notice information that coincides with our preexisting beliefs while selectively ignoring information that does not. While not always the easiest bias to overcome, it is important to remain vigilant for it’s possible influence.
Quantify Results Whenever Possible; Numbers Generally Don’t Lie.
While it’s not possible to quantify and measure everything, measurement is an essential part of the scientific method and often useful for applications in practicing and exercising critical thinking. If something can be measured, you are better able to see what is happening and garner a better understanding of why. While in some cases, only discreet, qualitative measurements are possible, quantitative measurements are the most superior form of data for investigation and making comparisons.
All Claims Must Support the Conclusion
Arguments are commonly structured by utilizing a chain of evidence where each part rests on other supporting claims and premises to eventually form the whole argument. It is important to understand that each premise in the chain of an argument must hold up for the conclusion to be honest and the argument to be considered good - not just most of them. Make sure to inspect each claim separately and consider whether they are logical within the context of the full argument.
Always Ask If The Claim Is Falsifiable
If outright disproving a claim is impossible, it’s not worth considering. Every scientific theory, by definition, must be falsifiable. That is to say, there must be a way in which it can be shown to be false. One primary reason for this is to accommodate the discovery of relevant new information (a common occurrence in science). Since non-falsifiable claims cannot be subjected to critical thinking, we do not spend time considering them.
Use Philosophical Razors
Philosophical razors are rules that facilitate distilling out conclusions that have a low probability of being correct. The term “low probability” in this context represents the fact that razors are solely “rules-of-thumb” and not formal principles set in stone. Nevertheless, they have great utility in saving critical thinkers time contemplating futile scenarios. A commonly known philosophical razor is Occam’s Razor, which essentially states that the simplest explanation is usually the correct one. More formally, it advises that one should not make more assumptions than the minimum needed to draw a logical conclusion.
***To view the full infographic, click here. The aforementioned steps to help cultivate, establish and facilitate a better sense of critical thinking are adapted from the book The Demon Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark by renowned scientist and popular author, Carl Sagan, which you can purchase here.
Image source here
Ad Fontes Interactive Media Bias Chart Rates Bias & Source Reliability Of Major Media Outlets
It's been commonly accepted and understood by Americans that virtually all mainstream news outlets lean one way or the other on the political spectrum when it comes to their political bias. The ability of the mainstream media to control and manipulate the flow of information has profound effects on our collective consciousness and public education. The following chart (link below) ranks the degree of media bias by examining various major media outlets and ranking their degree of political bias and overall source reliability. The expanse of these various popular media outlets speaks volumes of how much variety there is among political leanings, reliability and bias among what society, on average, considers their primary news sources. If the biggest news outlets in the world cannot commit to conveying the truth in an unbiased and objective manner, then the responsibility falls upon society at large to distinguish between good content and deceptive content. While many outlets displayed do indeed have quality reporting (especially outlets like AP and Reuters, which are rated the highest and the most unbiased), those outlets that lie on the extremes of the spectrum are generally agreed upon by the rationally minded to be fanatic and pure propaganda from either the left or right side of the political spectrum. Indeed, big corporations need a vehicle of communication for their lies and many outlets in the mainstream media (MSM) offer them that platform by selectively deciding which stories to focus on and how to spin each one. As such, the responsibility is ours to transcend the lies and deceit by learning and empowering the world at large to become better critical thinkers.
***You can find the full chart here.
Consistent Practice Makes Better Critical Thinkers & A Better World
As with any new skill, consistent practice is crucial for developing sharper, keener critical thinking skills. Diversifying the media outlets one consumes information from will help provide an information seeker with several varying perspectives that can then be weighed against one another to eventually reach a sound conclusion after reviewing all the best evidence available (see step 4 of 9 above). However, one does not develop the adequate critical thinking skills necessary to survive and thrive in the current climate of information warfare overnight. It is only through striving to apply the aforementioned principles when consuming a diversity of quality content with a healthy sense of skepticism that one cultivates these skills over time and with practice.
The Responsibility To Become Better Critical Thinkers Has Fallen At Our Feet
Clearly, as per the findings revealed in David Michaels new book, the responsibility to distinguish deceptive content from accurately informative and empowering content has fallen on the feet of the everyday person. We obviously can’t depend on big industry to step up and spell out the truth for us in their marketing and sales tactics. Instead, it is up to each and every one of us to become better truth seekers and more conscious consumers of digital content. As elucidated by Michael’s book and the corresponding Nature piece featuring it, the consequences of weaponized disinformation crafted solely to maximize profits at all costs are grave. As a scientist myself, I feel as though the corporations engaging in these greedy corporate practices are doing a profound disservice to mankind as a whole by attacking our collective intelligence and exploiting humanity’s natural curiosity about the sciences. This is the only way to prevent the next greedy corporation from using the age-old “big tobacco” playbook to deal in doubt and deception instead of facts and truth.