Hodson on how to avoid spreading misinformation about Ukraine

Jaigris Hodson, Royal Roads associate professor and Canada Research Chair in digital communication for the public interest, provided some advice for how to deal with the issue of misinformation during the current conflict in Ukraine in her interview with CBC. At the best of times obtaining accurate information during a conflict is a challenge, but as Hodson points out social media algorithms, which focus on engagement, often amplify disinformation efforts.

Here’s a little of what she had to say:

"If you're feeling a lot of anger or fear or disgust or surprise, then that's a sign that you need to stop and be extra careful about whether you forward something or share it because those emotions are usually what short circuits our critical thinking and causes us to share a lot of the propaganda that's going around,"

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