Inoculating From Disinformation - Tuesday!

⏱ Estimated Read Time: 2 minutes

Yo, what is good? I was watching this thing on disinformation the other day. It was two authors debating whether disinformation could be identified, and if we could teach people how to identify it, maybe they could protect themselves from believing the lies. I think we need to stop calling disinformation disinformation because it’s really just lies! We’ve found a fancy two-dollar word for calling something a lie.

The more I thought about this, the more I wondered if disinformation can be easily identified. One author was saying you can identify it using certain patterns. The other was saying these patterns aren’t as obvious in the real world, and people are smart enough to disguise lies to make them sound like the truth, which is the truth! If someone could identify a lie really easily, they would. I don’t think people generally want to go around spreading or believing lies, but the reason they do is because it’s not so easy to identify them. You can’t just say, “Hey, because you used a certain type of language, it has to be a lie,” because all sides use that kind of language to express things.

The more I started thinking about this and dissecting it, the more I accepted that it’s not so much that it’s hard to identify a lie, it’s that we find these lies convenient. So, we don’t battle them as hard as we should because they support a belief, bias, or prejudice that we might already have. It’s more convenient for us to believe the lie and say, “Well, look, they’re eating pets” if we’re racist. Or, “Hey, the schools are turning all our kids trans” if you hate trans people. There are certain lies that become convenient truths in your life by just saying, “Listen, I don’t know, but that’s what they said.” It’s easier to believe the lie than it is to do the research to figure out whether it’s right or wrong.

That’s why I think disinformation isn’t as easy to combat as much as everyone wants to combat it because there are certain lies that we want to believe. There are people who want to believe that things are out of their control, that giant corporations want to poison us with pharmaceuticals so that we become reliant and dependent on these drugs, which they kind of prove to be the case every now and then. It’s not as easy as all that because we develop these biases, and they get backed up by these truths we can cherry-pick. Then, we see certain things happen and figure that those things probably happened too. Now we got everyone fighting over things, and while they’re fighting, they’re lying. It’s called the age of lies for a reason, right? It’s beautiful in a morbid, crooked, wretched, “what is the truth?” sense. You can say all the truths you want, but if you’re living your truth… Anyway, that’s all I got till the next one. Peace.

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updated_at 31-07-2025
Ai Disclosure: The above posts were transcribed using AI tools. Some language may not have been accurately transcribed.
Ai Header Image Prompt: High-quality, highly detailed digital artwork, blending elements of abstract expressionism, contemporary data visualization art, and conceptual abstract painting. The image depicts a dynamic and intricate visual metaphor for the struggle between truth and disinformation. At its core, a faint, pure light source, represented by crisp, geometric patterns and subtle, vibrant color gradients, attempts to emanate outwards. However, this central truth is increasingly enveloped and distorted by multiple, overlapping layers of swirling, amorphous forms. These forms are composed of highly detailed, fragmented digital text (unreadable as specific words), blurred data streams, and chaotic, pixelated static, all rendered with a textured, almost painterly feel. The color palette shifts from cooler, clearer tones near the 'truth' core to warmer, inviting, yet murky hues in the outer, distorting layers, symbolizing the 'convenience' and insidious appeal of disinformation. Abstract, semi-transparent barriers or filters, rendered with a subtle iridescent sheen, further obscure the view, representing cognitive biases. The overall composition creates a sense of intellectual challenge and visual complexity, where the eye is drawn into a mesmerizing dance between clarity and obfuscation. The elements should flow and intertwine, avoiding sharp, unnatural breaks, maintaining a fluid and non-AI aesthetic. No discernible human figures, hands, or limbs are present. No text or titles overlay the image.