I sincerely support 100% a “How To Spot Fake News” course for seniors!
I have senior scholars in my classes bc I believe in open access and information literacy for all.
Librarians do the best work in this area BTW. https://t.co/GPnpYJAhWa
— critical thinking is a cop (@criticalthotcop) February 26, 2020
I realize that a significant portion of the commentariat here is old enough to fall into the ‘senior’ class, but that’s all the more reason to keep our cohort fellows from embarrassing themselves. Per NPR:
… A recent study suggests these classes could be increasingly important. Researchers at Princeton and New York universities found that Facebook users 65 and over posted seven times as many articles from fake news websites, compared with adults under 29.
“And that raises a lot of questions about what could be driving this relationship,” says Andrew Guess, an assistant professor of politics and public affairs at Princeton and a co-author of the study…
Guess says there hasn’t been a lot of research into this question yet, but it’s likely digital literacy could have a lot to do with it. And he says that provides reason for optimism.
“People who are not digital natives didn’t grow up online, having a sort of a natural relationship to using computers and the Internet,” he says. “They are simply more susceptible to the kinds of online content that happened to be weaponized in that particular election. If it turns out this is the big part of the explanation, digital literacy is something that can be taught and it’s a skill that can be developed.”…
At the Schweinhaut Senior Center, trainer Bre Clark coaches participants about the difference between propaganda, deep fakes and sponsored content. And she runs through a checklist for evaluating information online: Who wrote the information? What’s the source of a claim? Does the author have an agenda?
“This topic is political,” Clark says. “And we form our opinions throughout our lifetime, and we get mired in our opinions as we grow older. And it’s not about being someone that can’t change their mind, it’s not those stereotypes of older adults.”…
Military Life: Two Perspectives with Leto & Avalune, an Introduction
Bill Arnold
I wonder how they deal with hardcore disinfo that says that Snopes is a Soros-funded fake fact checker[1], etc.
[1] Snopes: Is Snopes funded by mega-donors such as George Soros or the Koch Brothers? – No. Snopes is completely independent. Our operations are sustained by advertising revenue and generous contributions from readers. (20 May 2019)
Seriously, though – it is very heartwarming to see these anti-disinformation projects.
Steeplejack (phone)
@Bill Arnold:
I got that from my RWNJ brother as he descends farther into the RWNJ morass. I nuked him about some over-the-top bullshit he was spreading on Facebook, gave him a Snopes citation, and his response was: “Snopes? Really?” No refutation, no counterexample, just dismissal. Check and mate, libtard! ?
debbie
As soon as they post it, be sure to watch Colbert’s bit with Elizabeth Warren in an SC bar/restaurant. How nice it would be to have a president with a great sense of humor!
phdesmond
@debbie: thanks for the lead.
Redshift
@debbie: That was hilarious!
Darkrose
I’m way too exhausted to find the actual citation now, but there was a Stanford study released shortly after the 2016 election which found that students in elementary school, high school, and college undergraduates—all digital natives—had difficulty critically evaluating information online. The majority of high school students in the study were unable to identify articles marked as sponsored content as advertising, for example, and most of the undergraduates couldn’t explain how source bias could effect the accuracy of information on Twitter.
I found the study in my reference services class, and cited it in multiple papers. It’s one of the things that helped me decide to focus on academic librarianship. CRAAP test, baby!
Juice Box
I was at my volunteer job today, listening to seniors repeat what they’ve heard on Fox. It’s no wonder that they hate us. We’re terrifying.
Don Beal
As one of those seniors, my bet is the gullibility correlation relates more to religious belief than age. Seniors are more religiously observant. The authoritarian follower is well represented in this group.
Kattails
Hi Cole, looking at your Twitter question @ skinning a cat: fun tidbit– my dictionary of quotations gives the original as “There are more ways of killing a cat than choking her with cream” (Charles Kingsley). The narrator suggests that this implies going “…about some task in an expensive, foolish way–and one particularly unlikely to accomplish its purpose.” So the original was actually a clever metaphor. (Sry can’t reply on Twitter.)
barb 2
Critical thinking is so important. We are getting information from all directions – some of this information is from questionable sources. Reporters sometimes get stuff wrong so it helps to use several sources in order to get the whole picture.
Rush Limpballs is a prime example of spreading misinformation.
Now we have the Trump administration flat out lying about the coronavirus – it is important to know how to do a google search – or as the article points out – use snopes – etc.
Then we have trolls and bots. These cockroaches can be recognized.
I’ve taught older folks how to do searches , many people can be taught to critically look at information, ask question and do internet searches.
Iceland teaches their students critical thinking skills – because Russa is right on their boarder and Russia has been flooding the Iceland social media with false stories and harmful information. Malcom Nance wrote a book about Russia ‘s dirty tricks. He said our major defense is critical thinking and how to recognize trolls and disinformation.
debbie
Here’s the bit with Warren and Colbert.
BobS
People 65 and older = more intractable confirmation bias + declining cognitive skills.
chris
@debbie: LOL! Thank you!
Warren/Colbert2020!!! Make it so, America!
phdesmond
@debbie: excellent!