We all know the world we are living in, it’s a world of filter bubbles on Social Media and Whatsapp. These filter bubbles are often created by people who want to mislead the larger public to pursue their vested interests. What do these filter bubbles contain? Well, for most part, they contain fake news and misinformation which will make you fall into an trap of people / organizations willing to brainwash you into believing something that’s just not true. Please bear in mind, authorities and governments whom you traditionally trust with the truth, have been caught violating the very ideals
of balanced information dissemination. So please be very careful when you consume news on social media or through Whatsapp.

There is no reason to worry, we will guide you on how to avoid getting into the filter bubble and falling into the trap of people/organizations pursuing vested interests.

Here are 4 important tips to keep fake news out of your digital content consumption journey:

Know how Social Media works

Social Media algorithms work on the basis of your consumption of content on that particular platform. If you are consuming and clicking on fake news/misinformation on Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn, the algorithm will serve you more such news/information. It’s an addiction model. Fact check every dubious piece of information on any platform. A simple google search should suffice. Specific fact checking sources in India are Home – Alt
News & BOOM: Coronavirus News, Fact Checks on fake and Viral News, Online News Updates (boomlive.in)

Check Whatsapp Forwards

Please be careful about Whatsapp forwards and check how many times they have been forwarded. Whatsapp clearly demarcates forwards, these days. If a forward has been forwarded many times, be careful. Treat it with suspicion. Check on google. It takes less than a minute to check the truth. As it is on Whatsapp, you cannot forward to more than five people at once. Be extra careful to forward anything received on any group that you are part of.

Understand the sides of Mainstream Media

Across the world, some media outlets have evolved to choose sides, unwilling and sometimes inadvertently. These sides are determined by ideologies, as well as being pro/anti-establishment. India is no different. You can gauge their affination by reading some of the stories they publish. If you are look for a fair and balanced view, there are a very few mainstream media outlets which offer that. We will give you that lowdown next week.

Bookmark/save & share legit sources

If you have performed your own quick due diligence every time, you would have gathered a list of true sources of news/information and a list of mainstream media, who are fair and balanced. Share your bookmarks and saved websites/portals with your network, helping others to reap the benefits of coming out of the filter bubble.

Feel free to reach out to us at [email protected] or +919311037707 if you have any query on this topic. If you are interested to dig deeper, please click here to watch a webinar we hosted with two of India’s leading fact checkers.

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