The Art of Identifying (Scientific) Misinformation
Different fields of knowledge have always coexisted. Each offers a different lens on understanding the world. Science grounds us in data and research. Others focus on emotions or human experience. All these different types of knowledge, learning, feeling, believing, and thinking combine to shape and deepen our understanding of the world we live in.
But what happens when our emotions and evidence are used not to enlighten, but to confuse?
Misinformation often hides in plain sight. It uses language that sounds scientific and feels true. When storytelling merges selective scientific data with compelling emotional cues, it can create narratives that are both convincing and wrong. This can be especially true in digital spaces that reward speed and simplicity over accuracy.
Media literacy is increasingly important as social media becomes more and more prominent in our lives. It’s essential to ask, “Where is this information coming from?” This is especially true for health content which is prone to misinformation due to the urgency, emotion, and complexity it carries.
Why We Fall For Fake Health Information
Here are some of the factors that, when combined, can help spread false information at wildfire rates 1:
Does someone want to build up their own reputation or destroy our trust in some other source of information?
Does someone stand to make money from it?
Is the source well-intentioned but based on thinking or belief rather than real evidence?
Is the information filling a vacuum where there isn't any other information, or there's no reassuring information?
Is a possible advancement in early stages, and being presented as much farther along?
Does it sound really, really good? Maybe too good to be true?
Stopping to check the facts helps stem the spread of misinformation. Retrieved from: World Health Organization adaptation from Siouxsie Wiles and Toby Morris in The Spinoff, CC BY-SA
As artificial intelligence is increasingly used on the internet and in social media, personal news feeds are narrowed based on algorithms that support our own biases. This process curates content and limits exposure. Instead of seeing a wide range of views, we see ones that line up with what we’ve read before. If we don’t actively seek other viewpoints, we won’t see them. Maybe they deserve consideration.
At Smart Patients we strive to look at all the information possible. Smart Patients can help to combat misinformation as a trusted peer-to-peer community. 2
We’ve seen how our community members use simple questions to filter through information, including:
- Might it help, could it hurt, does someone stand to make money off this?
- What sources verify the information shared?
- What sources challenge it?
Our members not only do this in real-time, but also come back and report on what they’ve found or learned.
If you're looking for a place to ask questions, share experiences, and make sense of complex health information with others who truly understand—Smart Patients is here for you. Our members combine curiosity, lived experience, and a commitment to accuracy to support each other through every step of the journey.
1 Why we fall for fake health information – and how it spreads faster than facts. The Conversation, 2020. Retrieved from: https://theconversation.com/why-we-fall-for-fake-health-information-and-how-it-spreads-faster-than-facts-134068
2 In this article, Kathryn Burn, CEO of Smart Patients, and Jennifer Butler, Chief Commercial Officer at Pleio, share additional thoughts on the growing burden of misinformation. Retrieved from: https://pharmaphorum.com/patients/growing-burden-misinformation-patients-left-wondering-where-turn-trusted-insights