Week 1 Blog: Transforming the Internet into a Place of Trust
After watching Claire Wardle’s TED Talk, “How You Can Help Transform the Internet into a Place of Trust,” this post argues that misinformation online is not just about false content itself, but about the way people mentally and emotionally respond to what they see and choose to share.
It pushes beyond the simple labels of fake news and propaganda, noting that rumors, misleading posts, memes, and decontextualized images all sit on a larger spectrum. One example that stands out is the “banana injected with HIV” rumor, which continues to circulate because it targets fear and concern for loved ones, not because it is credible.
The post also reflects on how social media algorithms amplify content that gets emotional reactions, which means users and platforms both share responsibility for how misinformation spreads. Real images, taken out of context, can become just as misleading as content that is entirely fabricated.
Its conclusion is that misinformation is also a learning problem. People need to be taught how to question sources, recognize missing context, and validate what they encounter online rather than being blamed for not automatically knowing how to interpret everything correctly.