Gadgetory

social media makes it super easy to share information in the event of an emergency unfortunately it also makes it really easy to share fake information so I'm here to help with some tips nobody likes being wrong and you'll feel dumb for sharing something fake unless it's from the onion because they're brilliant and sometimes we all need a good laugh number one check the source see an article with an absolutely crazy headline like Tim Cook eats iPhone ten at Apple event and aren't sure if it's real look at the URL sometimes spoof websites can look a lot like reputable news organizations double check the spelling of the site and the domain you shouldn't trust tech news from CNET unicorns dot CEO just like you shouldn't trust strange URLs claiming to have exclusive stories or breaking news if it looks legit Google the keywords and click on the news tab to see if other official news outlets are running the same story if you see more than one major site reporting it you're probably good to share number two check the image if you're on Twitter the news moves fast it moves so fast you might not feel like you have time to double check that retweet you're just trying to help boost the signal I know I know we all want to help but some massive jerks out there do this thing where they steal a picture on the internet and pretend it's a friend or family member lost in chaos that's where Google's reverse image search comes in handy on a laptop you can drag and drop a picture into Google Images to see where else it pops up is the photo on a ton of other websites has it been online for years is it a meme that you missed fake fake fake and honestly really hurtful to the people who actually do have missing loved ones that need to be found number three check your biases let's go back to that crazy Tim Cook story I totally made up if you love Android and hate Apple you might be more than willing to believe that story if it popped up in your news feeds same for Apple fans if I swapped out Tim Cook for Sergey Brin so what do you do you head behind enemy lines and pop that bubble don't be afraid to go to websites you don't normally visit in order to double-check a story it kind of ties into checking your sources but if all of your sources have the same point of view it's really only one source you know number four check your gut if you take all of these steps and something still doesn't feel quite right it's okay not to post right this second wait watch listen you'll have more chances to share verified information I promise number five breathe this one is the hardest because when you're drowning in posts you can really get carried away with sharing every single thing you see and repeating things you've read take a deep breath count to 60 go through the previous tips then decide if it's accurate and helpful if you share so there you go five easy ways to do your part to keep fake news from spreading online and if you do all of these things and somehow still end up being wrong that's okay just pull the post or update it with accurate information and a link don't litter online just like you wouldn't litter in real life take out the trash we all want to help especially when we feel helpless and social media is one of the easiest ways to do that but remember that spreading false information to the exact opposite of helping it obfuscates and diverts attention from the people and stories that need it you can do this we're counting on you until next time be good humans