Friday Feature: How Too Much News Fosters Fake News

Ever feel overwhelmed by information? A recent study suggests that that feeling, often exacerbated by social media, can be part of a vicious circle. A flood of information can make it harder for us to be discriminating about what we believe (and what we share), perpetuating the spread of information that is, shall we say, less than reliable.

Strangely enough, the problem and the cure are one and the same. Only by gathering more information -- checking sources, reading carefully (or simply reading beyond the headline, in some cases) -- can we make sure that the news that we're sharing is information rather than misinformation.

Or, to quote Eldridge Cleaver, "There is no more neutrality in the world. You either have to be part of the solution, or you're going to be part of the problem."

I know which side I hope to land on. Unfortunately, that means a bit less Twitter and a bit more critical thinking.

Friday Feature: Faking It

Yesterday, I headed back into the classroom, determined to teach not just psychology, but critical thinking skills as well.

And today is Inauguration Day.

The confluence of these two events has me thinking about staying informed in a responsible way.

One day last week, I typed "staying politically aware when the news makes you sick" into my trusty search engine -- the one that is, or is not, depending on who you read -- cracking down on allowing fake news sites to run its ads.

And I ended up reading about how we consume the news -- or boycott it because it's bad for us. How millenials consume news, along with specifics on the ways that many in this generation are more informed than we give them credit for. I read an interview with a fake news creator -- a man who is educated and makes a decent living paying people to make up stories and spread them across social media, then unveil them -- sort of.

Finally, I landed on an article that I printed out to share with my students: one on how to spot fake news. As this industry becomes more lucrative, it's also becoming better at what it does, which is convincing people that fiction and fact are one and the same.

I never did find the answer to my online search. I guess that's one I'll have to work out for myself.

If you've figured it out, please share your strategies in the comments.