HPHS Student’s Essay Warns About Dangers of Disinformation
Gen Z has been raised in a world surrounded by media, and with it, disinformation, writes Highland Park High School student Olivia-Sophie Keijsers Koning, a finalist in the Moody Advanced Professional Studies Modern Media competition.
People Newspapers
The world is ending. The No. 7 does not exist. Rain is a myth.
If I gave dates and images and “sources” that support these statements, would they be believable? If I gave these statements with full confidence, would you change your thinking, change what you have always known, seen, and felt, based on a published article?
Unsuspecting victims of disinformation can often fall into the trap of blind belief of what they read or see or hear due to the prior credibility so-called reliable sources have enjoyed. Today, with the reach of the internet, there has been an explosion of “sources,” many with intentions of manipulating their readers’ thoughts and opinions. Without tools to help, people will fall into the trap of believing it’s true simply because it appears in writing or in a photo or video.
Most of us are unaware of the amount of disinformation we absorb on a regular basis. This endless uncritical consumption of false information causes inner turmoil, and can create major misunderstandings in the community. How can two people have a successful or comprehensible conversation if one viewpoint is based on lies? Or, even worse, both are blind to the truth?
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