Don’t Get Fooled Online
You see the first Google result for “Are energy drinks bad for you?” and it says “Sponsored.” What does that mean?
It is an advertisement; Someone paid for it to be there.
If you ONLY search for info that agrees with your beliefs, what bias is influencing you?
Confirmation bias.
A website ends in “.edu.”
What type of organization usually runs it?
A school/educational group/university
What is the MAIN product social media companies sell?
Your attention / your data.
Who did Americans fight in the American Revolution?
Great Britain/England/UK
Someone shares a fake headline on Instagram because they think it’s real.
Is that misinformation or disinformation?
Misinformation
“This school policy DESTROYS student freedom!!!”
What emotion is the headline trying to trigger?
Anger/fear
What journalism standard means “Admit when you make a mistake”?
Accountability
Why do platforms push emotional or dramatic content?
It gets more engagement/clicks -> more money
What ship sank after hitting an iceberg in 1912?
The Titanic.
Your TikTok “For You Page” only shows one political viewpoint.
A filter bubble.
“Mayor Announces New Park” vs “Mayor Wastes Money on Useless Park.”
What kind of Bias?
Framing bias.
A nonprofit uses a “.org” website. Does that automatically mean it’s neutral and factual?
No, .org can still be biased or advocacy-driven.
YouTube recommends Roblox videos repeatedly because you keep watching the same Roblox videos. What is doing this?
The Algorithm
Which pandemic killed about 1/3 of Europe in the 1300s?
Black Death/The Plague
You land on a site that LOOKS official, but the domain is “.co” instead of “.com.”
What’s the FIRST thing you should do?
Lateral read
A headline leaves out key context to make something sound worse than it is.
What bias is this?
Omission bias.
WebMD and Mayo Clinic both write about the flu, but one is funded partly by ads for medicine.
Why might that matter?
Funding can influence content or what’s promoted.
Why are “free” apps like Instagram or TikTok not actually free?
They make money by collecting/selling data or ads.
Which civilization invented democracy?
Greece/Ancient Greece
You Google “Is caffeine bad for teens?” and the top three results are:
- A flashy health blog with dramatic language (“Caffeine is DESTROYING Gen Z!!!”)
- A long scientific article from a university website
- A parenting magazine article sponsored by an energy drink company
The university/scientific article should be clicked first.
The health blog uses emotional language (red flag), and the parenting article is sponsored (conflict of interest).
Someone says: “Everyone knows this issue is obvious - if you disagree, you’re brainwashed.”
Why is this bad (in your own words)?
It pressures the audience to be like the speaker, doesn't leave much wiggle room, and generalizes people by their belief (assumes stuff about them)
A site hides who owns it, doesn’t list authors, and has no “About” page.
What journalism standard is this LACKING?
Either Verification or Independence
A post goes viral, but it’s about something trivial and meaningless.
What phrase from class perfectly explains this?
Viral ≠ Important
What was the name of the trade route that connected China to Europe for centuries?
The Silk Road.