Information literacy has never been more important in the digital world has more information than ever before. However, there is a definite lack of information literacy accompanying the deluge.
Speed is a higher priority than accuracy. Sharing content is more important than reading and comprehending while leaving a comment triumphs understanding. The education system doesn't teach children to navigate the information landscape. Instead, they believe what their screen tells them is true.
Information literacy involves using various tools, some of which are rarely taught outside of the academic or scientific world. Source triangulation uses multiple methods or data sources to develop a comprehensive understanding of a problem. Analyze sources to distinguish fact from opinion. Lastly, verify and validate the findings.
The titans of the digital world believe technology can solve every problem. They ignore the fact that teaching children and adults information literacy techniques is important. They believe another website, more fact-checkers, or different algorithms can fix fake news. It doesn’t work. What works is teaching humans the value of literacy.
Fake news is prevalent throughout the world. Without thinking, people are believing what they read without verifications. They post on social media, and the post goes viral when it is not even in the realm of believability.
To solve "fake news," we must combine technological assistance with teaching citizens to be literate consumers of the world around them.
In short, question the veracity of each statement you read before passing it on as quickly as possible.