ENG102 Vassett

Where does misinformation come from? Misinformation ranges from outdated news initially thought to be true and disseminated in good faith, to technically-true but misleading half-truths, to entirely fabricated disinformation spread intentionally to mislead or confuse the public. People can even acquire misconceptions from obviously fictional materials. Most importantly, we consume and create misinformation because we fail to check our emotions . . . when a piece of information sparks a reaction, a good habit to form before sharing this “fact” is to STOP and apply S.I.F.T. - Digging for Truth. Since we daily confront an onslaught of information from various news/media sites including our social accounts, evaluating that information needs concrete strategies and tactics for tracing claims to sources and for analyzing the nature and reliability of those sources.  The web gives us many such strategies, tactics, and tools, which, properly used, can get us closer to the truth of a statement or image within seconds -- bottom line, the web is both the largest propaganda machine ever created and the most amazing fact-checking tool ever invented.

Today we'll practice some simple, evidence-based strategies for evaluating the credibility of sources, as well as reading critically. More specifically, we'll practice lateral reading defined as a quick initial evaluation of information by spending time reading what others say about the source or related issue. Lateral reading is used commonly by fact checkers.

These strategies will help you look beyond less important surface features of a source (for example, how professional it looks or if it's a .org; is it peer reviewed or underwent a professional edit), and think more carefully about who is behind the source, what their purpose is, and how trustworthy and credible they are.  To begin, let's examine:

Algorithmic Bias:  Explore the impact of unseen algorithms on our online content and consider the ramifications on privacy, discrimination, and polarization.

To Begin:

1. Log in to your Google account on your phone or laptop.
2. Click the Data & Personalization tab.
3. Scroll down to Ad Personalization and click the link to “Go to ad settings.”
4. Under “How your ads are personalized,” scroll through the personal information Google has collected about you including your presumed age and gender, shopping habits, and interests.

Questions for Reflection:

• What is your reaction to these "personalization" algorithms?  
• What is the implication of these algorithms on your search results?
• What impact might algorithms have on society?

Algorithms are complex computational formulas used by online platforms like Google and Amazon to keep us engaged with their products and services. They collect data based on our online activity and use that data to tailor what we see... and what we don't see . . . sounds harmless but consider what happens when we are blind to algorithmic echo chambers which cater to our likes and dislikes reinforcing our beliefs and opinions.  The Internet allows people to create and to share information in ways that once seemed possible only in science fiction. At the same time that we can benefit from the open nature of the Internet, it's sometimes hard to decide what online information to trust and to use.

One important part of lateral reading is click restraint - CRAAP is a handy tool. When you practice click restraint, you don’t immediately click on the first search results. Instead you scan a search results page, looking at things like the title, source description, and featured sections, before deciding what sources to examine. This helps you to get a fuller picture of the coverage available on that source, as well as to look for sources that don’t come from the original source. 

Fact checkers exercise click restraint: they recognize that some sources may not be the most reliable ones and look for trusted coverage. Doing this will help you avoid “rabbit holes” and misleading information. Considering the results page as a whole can also give you insight into the source. For example, if many of the sources appear to be highly partisan or emotionally charged, the original source may be about a polarizing issue, or the source itself may be polarizing. 

This short video from the Stanford History Education Group illustrates the importance of click restraint and why you shouldn’t assume that the first search results are necessarily the most reliable or relevant ones. 

Video: How to Find Better Information Online: Click Restraint

Let's practice Click Restraint:

Using topics/keywords from your ENG102 Jamboard, conduct a Google search being mindful of hidden algorithms as you determine the best result to further Fact Check.  Based on your best Google result:

• Add a post it note to your ENG102 Jamboard with the URL of your best Google result a sentence of importance;
• Add 1 or 2 additional keywords from a quick skim/scan of your best Google result.

Finding Trusted Coverage:  Learn about the value of expertise and how to assess the authority of experts, based on credentials, reputation, and situational context.  When you first come across a web source, do a quick initial assessment, much like a fact-checker does. Fact-checkers don't spend too much time on a website; instead they quickly leave that site to see what others have said about the site as no one person or single website can KNOW everything!  So, we must rely on experts and multiple sources to make informed judgements.  Your task is to evaluate expertise for both the content of information and information provider:

USE Google to explore your best result using the following questions and expand your ENG102 Jamboard entry:

Check For Previous Work: Has someone already fact-checked the claim or analyzed the research?  Search the Internet for other coverage on the claim. Consider where that coverage comes from - yes you may need to fact check further.  

Read Laterally: What are others saying about the original source and about its claim? In addition, get other information about a website from other sources by searching Google for [WEBSITE URL] site: -[WEBSITE URL]

• newyorktimes.com site: -newyorktimes.com
• minimumwage.com site: -minimumwage.com

Author's Expertise:

• What are the author’s qualifications and educational background and does that background equate to expertise on the issue?  What else have they written on this issue? Do they have any public social media accounts and does the information on these accounts add or detract from their expertise on the issue?  What institutions, organizations, and/or companies are they affiliated with?

Opposing Viewpoint--Compare information across sources to find consensus or division:

What is the dissenting or opposing opinion?  What evidence supports their opinion?  Why night the opposition hold this position/interpretation of their evidence?  Why do they disagree with your point of view?

Google Scholar:

Lastly, use any additional terms or study findings as your keywords to search Google Scholar.

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ENG102 Jamboard

Reflect on the following questions for this comparison:

• How are the sources searched in Google Scholar different from those in a typical Google search?
• Consider differences in terms of audience, purpose, jargon/terminology, level of detail, etc
• Take a moment to modify your Google Scholar results by enabling the Library Link Feature (NOTE: Be sure to choose ONLY Proquest Fulltext if applicable) - What results did you discover?