By Anna Pasquantonio

This session, held towards the end of the day, focused on misinformation in general–– not just at RIT. Participants shared their struggles with discerning the facts behind content on the Internet, particularly on social media platforms where it is hard to tell the source that is behind a particular statement. The delicate and uncertain nature of the pandemic makes things difficult, as well–– new information is discovered every day that changes how we think and act about COVID. Participants shared how they strike a balance between accepting new information and ideas and potentially falling victim to misinformation. 

There were three panelists for this session that brought their own unique perspectives to the challenge of misinformation–– a psychologist, a virologist, and an ecologist. The main skill that they brought up was “prebunking”, which involves triangulating sources to determine if something is true or not before you accept new information into your ideology. This is in opposition to debunking, which requires more effort to convince yourself, or someone else, that a previously held belief is misinformation. Participants shared strategies they used to determine if something is misinformation or not, such as asking “where did you hear this?” and finding reputable and scientific sources. Repetition does not mean accuracy, and in the early days of the pandemic, as new discoveries were constantly being made and guidance was constantly changing, it was essential to dig deep and not believe the first things you see. 

The session ended with a conversation on science. One panelist said that scientists, as discoverers and disseminators of knowledge, have a moral obligation to combat disinformation. Meeting people where they are, and “letting go of the science speak”, can create an emotional response that can aid in helping someone to let go of a misinformed belief. The COVID-19 pandemic has unfortunately been host to a lot of misinformation, but with these strategies, one can easily determine what is truthful and what is not.