Modern Information: The Importance of Vetting, Fact Checking, and Sources
In a world of social media and 24/7 news, information comes and goes in a blink of an eye. Is vetting sources becoming a thing of the past?
We live in the digital age.
Ever since people could purchase computers for their homes in the 1990s, technology has been advancing rapidly. We went from one evening news session around dinner time to around the clock news on multiple channels. Social media burst onto the scene in the late 90s with SixDegrees followed by the 2000s with MySpace, Facebook and many more to follow. Information began circulating and moving around the globe at the fastest rates we have ever seen in history.
Now it’s 2024 and even more sites have been added like Snapchat, X formally known as Twitter, and Bluesky. We spend our days on our smartphones, tablets and computers ingesting hours of information that has come from all over the world.
But how do we know it’s factual information?
Most people scroll or even get to the dreaded “doom scroll” part of their days and this information is taken in and out quickly. Sometimes it’s shared or spoken about but a majority of internet users look at titles, posts, and tweets at their face value. This is actually a huge problem and furthering a crises our society has which supports the spread of misinformation.
This writer is a teacher in a 9-12th charter, high school. When teaching about social studies and historical writing, primary sources, Chicago style citing, and vetting sources I often get blank stares and confused looks. While our schools are teaching these skills, they aren’t computing into the real world as global citizens. I tell my students often that a post cannot be used as a factual source. It needs to be vetted, cross reference and fact checked before even taking it as a true statement.
So why did society all of the sudden forget that?
There are a couple reasons. One, when we can access information at such immediate speeds, why check it? Something new will pop up and be read in a millisecond anyways. It takes time and patience to check sources and what’s the point if a person is just scrolling and taking in information in their free time?
Secondly, the United States is living through a time of societal acceptance by some of “fake news” and denial of facts. Since President Donald Trump took office in 2016, he has supported a movement to deny factual information even if there’s physical, hard evidence supporting the statement. Many people look to someone in power like this and view their actions as legitimate. In other words, if he can do it, why can’t I? Politicians are know for promises that could be seen as lies that they don’t keep. This goes for all sides, Democrat, Republican, Green and Independent. There just was, and still is, a misinformation movement that is associated with President Trump and the use of “fake news.”
This is extremely dangerous not only to our entire structure of society but to our culture, relationships, and democracy.
By not vetting or fact checking, we are inadvertently allowing this type of behavior to continue. We are stating that it’s alright to not know the facts or find out the truth, even if we do not like the answer.
A historians goal is to talk about the facts of history, give all perspectives of the event and time period, but also be open to new research and those ideas changing with time as we learn more. If you are willing to admit the truth, even if wrong, this is a win for the discipline and society as a whole. Not everyone is a historian, but we can utilize these life skills every single day responsibly. So, why can’t the everyday, average citizen do this consistently?
We need to bring back a culture of truth seeking. We need to support those who encourage fact checking and vetting sources. We need to not take any information at face value. We need to be life long learners and admit when we are wrong. We need to accept new information as it comes in if it’s factual and changes the story. We need to be willing to put in the work on all aspects of media in this digital age to make sure the truth shines through.
If we don’t do this, we will continue to spiral down a reality that supports misinformation and the spread of lies.
I this what we truly want for our society and future? We don’t think so.
Our very future depends on our societal belief in the truth and where it comes from. Do not forget that you have this power to research and find the facts when others try to tell you not to. By stopping the spread of misinformation we can continue to be responsible, global citizens who care for our society, world, and future.