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The danger of online misinformation is well documented — left unchecked, the Sleeper Effect turns falsehoods into truths.
Unfortunately, the ‘wild west’ nature of social media deters the well-intentioned from speaking up as they are often singled out and attacked by the rabid believers of the misinformation. This has led to the silencing of the rational majority and is dangerous for the proper functioning of democracy.
I believe while many of the silent majority feel the need to clarify misinformation, and to call out disinformation, they don’t know to do it in a safe manner.
There are two main assumptions in my strategy to correct online misinformation safely:
Firstly, 30% will agree with you and 30% will disagree with you. As it is impossible to convince the haters (their bias blinds them to accepting alternative views), and there is no need to convince those that agree with you, the battle is therefore for the 40% in the middle.
Secondly, while the middle ground’s perceptions and attitudes are shaped by the misinformation from the 30% of haters, the fact that they are undecided means that they rational and are thinking about the issues. Hence, if given the full facts will draw logical conclusions.
