Applying Critical Thinking in a Digital Society
By Katherine Rollings and Marshall McCann
With the vast amount of information we are inundated with on social media on a daily basis, it is far too easy to react to an image or article with an emotional reaction instead of with critical thinking. There is a lot of legitimate information to be found online, but misinformation is increasingly common. It is important to evaluate the credibility of what you are reading or watching to ensure it is real, and to avoid contributing to the spread of misinformation. There are several simple steps you should get into the habit of doing before you hit that like or share button.
Don’t trust it just because a friend or family member shared it. Everybody makes mistakes, and sometimes people will share articles without actually reading past the headline. Replace your emotional reaction with critical thinking. Don’t add to the frenzy, read the story and check its accuracy before you share it.
Verify the sources behind the post. Where did they get their information? Did they link their sources, and if so, are they from a reputable source?
Does the story seem biased? Take a look at some of the other stories that the website posts.
Check the credentials of who originally posted the story, video or photo. What organization are they with? Are they qualified? Did it come from a reputable and legitimate website?
Check the date of the article. Sometimes people will take an old story, add a sensationalized title and pass it off as recent.
Use a reputable fact-checker — Snopes, Politifact, FactCheck.org. Don’t rely on your intuition to check the reliability of a story.
Critical thinking is an essential skill in all aspects of life. It’s important for personal growth, all levels of education, employment, and to confirm the validity of information. Practicing critical thinking will help you become proficient in recognizing fake news, and it will also help you in other areas of your life and career.
Sources
Arnold, A. (2018, February 27). How To Maintain Critical Thinking In the Modern World of New Media. Retrieved from Forbes.
Kiely, E & Robertson L. (2016, November 17). How to Spot Fake News. Retrieved from FactCheck.org.
“Know the Facts: A WPA poster, imploring the public to develop critical thinking skills. Circa late 1930-early 1940s.” by polkbritton is marked with CC PDM 1.0
