the.com/misinformation
A lie that didn't need a liar, just a share button.
means False or inaccurate information spread regardless of whether the person sharing it knows it's false.
from Built from 'mis-' (wrong, astray — from Old English/Germanic roots) plus 'information,' which traces back to Latin 'informare,' to give form to or shape an idea. The word itself is old, dating back centuries in English, but it lived a quiet life until the internet gave it a highway. Its sibling 'disinformation' (deliberate deception, often with a Cold War, Soviet-propaganda flavor) is the one with intent; 'misinformation' is the innocent — or at least unwitting — twin.
- vs disinformation
- no intent to deceive, just confidently wrong
- spread speed
- falsehoods travel six times faster than truth online
- correction problem
- fact-checks often arrive after belief has already settled
- backfire effect
- debunking sometimes strengthens the original false belief