With Abundant Information,
We Lack Understanding
What does it mean to be "fake-informed?" A lack of media literacy may be to blame, though is it just that simple? In this case, awareness does not foster understanding.
I believe I speak on behalf of most when I say that the underlying problem of our current news climate is not for lack of information.
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We, as a nation, seem to have more information channels than ever before.
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News and information are being spread through different perspectives, across mediums, and outward toward a diversity of communities. A single topic rarely goes without coverage by multiple news outlets, and provides a platform--whether social or otherwise--for individuals to interact and engage with the content. The voices of individuals are seeing a greater presence and power than ever before, particularly in the news stories to which they are central.
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As far as democracy is concerned, open access to information appears favorable. Not only is news information more easily diffused across communities, individuals are able to engage with news first hand, whether in the comments section on a major news source or by sharing it with Facebook friends.​ An investment in the news is inherently positive, showing an eagerness by the American people to become informed on the pressing issues of our time.
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And yet, with an abundance of information proving more accessible than ever before, our nation seems to be laced with a lingering confusion.
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This confusion is different from that which may arise in times of traditional uncertainty, for example, when people feel as though they are not being told the full story. Instead, today's communities don't know which story to listen to. Even more, they feel as though they cannot distinguish whether a story is truth or fiction, or why it matters.
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This is perhaps one of the crises facing news and information consumers today: in times of information overload, how do you know what is true? What is important? Further, how are you expected to contextualize such information when a wealth of headlines are redirecting your attention elsewhere?
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Navigate the Project.
With Abundant Information, We Lack...
With an abundance of information, our understanding is wavering.
58%
of Americans believe
that an abundance of
information makes it
HARDER
to be informed.
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A Lingering Uncertainty
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This lack of understanding is highlighted in a recent survey about American beliefs about misinformation, trust, and media's role in democracy. Surveying 19,000 adults across the nation, the survey was conducted as part of the Knight Foundation Trust, Media, and Democracy Initiative. The findings shed light on the feelings of uncertainty lingering in America today, particularly regarding the news media and its impact on society.
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Regarding the aforementioned overabundance of information, for example, 58% of Americans believe that the wealth of news and information makes it harder to be informed. Only 38% of respondents claimed such an abundance made understanding of the news easier.
This negative perception of today's current news climate also extends to perceptions of "fake news," particularly regarding individuals' own ability to understand the news. For example, 73% of Americans claimed that the spread of "fake news" is more of a problem than any other news bias. More interestingly, however, was insight on the average individual's ability to correctly spot such misinformation. While 50% of individuals feel confident in the general public's ability to sort fact from
fiction, less than one-third of individuals
believe that they personally can make such
a distinction.
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So, what may be the reasons for why
American news consumers are so unsure
of the news media and their own ability to
accurately understand its information?
Further insight from the Knight-Gallup
survey may highlight some possible
shortcomings of the American public.
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We are closed off from other perspectives.
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Of those surveyed, 64% claim they frequently or occasionally share news stories with those who are close to them, including friends, family, or social media followers. More importantly, a majority (68%) of those who share news stories admit that they mostly share such stories with those who hold similar views.
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This circulation of stories within familiar circles can reinforce beliefs and perspectives, causing deeper ideological divides. The creation of such an "echo chamber" can be subtle in its establishment of trust in those who are similar to us, and distrust of those whose perspectives differ.
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A MAJORITY (68%)
of Americans who share new stories with others
admit that they mostly share with
those who hold similar views.
Do you have COMPLETE trust in the information you receive?
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Depending on the source...
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22% trust local news
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18% trust national organizations
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14% trust friends
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4% trust social media
This isolation from different perspectives, or rather, proximity to those of similar beliefs, may also result in attitude changes. Trust in the media, for example, is highly influenced by partisanship, with older Americans tending to view the media more positively than those who are younger. More specifically, Democrats have greater trust in the media than Republicans. Of the Democrats, for example, 26% claim that there is a "great deal" of political bias featured in the news, compared to the 67% of Republicans who disagree.
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Two implications arise from these findings. Not only do we tend to surround ourselves with news that supports our own world views, but this reinforcement also causes changes in attitude that may seek to divide us even more. An increase in distrust of the "other" may increase our hesitancy to consider differing perspective, decreasing the likelihood that we will seek to understand all sides of an issue.
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We are distrustful of our news.
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And this bring us to the issue of trust, quite possibly the root of such our nation's lingering uncertainty. Constantly questioning the validity of their news sources, and the extent to which they find themselves in an echo chamber, Americans are left feeling hesitant and skeptical.
Despite this uncertainty, Americans still do see the news media as important to a democratic society. In fact, a vast majority of Americans (84%) believe that media is a key component of a successful democracy, particularly as a public informant. The problem, therefore, regards the extent of the media's informational role.
When asked who is mainly responsible for making sure individuals receive an objective perspective on the news, for example, the nation was split. 48% of Americans said that individuals are mainly responsible, whereas the same percentage placed responsibility on news media. Interestingly, this difference was, once again split across party lines.
This difference in perspective yields insight
as to why Americans are dissatisfied and
distrustful of today's news. When surveyed,
less than half of Americans felt confident in
their ability to name an objective news
source. Thus, while the vast majority of
Americans see the importance of news
media, ideological divisions and uncertainty
regarding media's objectivity implies that the
news media is not fulfilling their ideal role.
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Despite agreement on the importance of the news media, Americans do not believe that the media is fulfilling their role.
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The Potential for Soul-Searching
This confusion illustrated above can be attributed to a number of different outside forces. The fragmentation of news media is helping to increase the ideological divide, and the wealth of data-collection applications on social media outlets has created a new market for news personalization. Confusion and uncertainty can also result from a lack of basic civic education and literacy, as mentioned in the above example. Add to these factors the wealth of information accessed through the Internet, and our nation's lingering uncertainty becomes easier to understand.
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But the truth is, our own media habits are doing nothing to lessen the negative effects of outside factors. Even more, they may be making such effects worse.
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So, while we continue to push more objective news coverage, or vent our frustration at the extensive collection of data from our own social media accounts, it may be worthwhile to reexamine our own media usage. To analyze how we interact with our own technologies on a daily basis, and explore how we may be susceptible to bias resulting from mere human nature.
While this reexamination may fall short of opening a door to complete understanding, a bit of soul-searching and self-examination wouldn't hurt.
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At best, it can reveal our own shortcomings and biases, paving the path for more careful and complete understanding of the news we consume.
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Continue to
The Flawed Social Newsfeed
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