Evaluating Sources and Identifying Fake News

Eli Pariser, who coined the term  "Filter Bubble" and wrote a book on the subject, questions about how tech platforms are reshaping public life remain as relevant as ever. In a new TED talk, Pariser says social platforms should be rebuilt to serve the greater good, drawing on principles from urban planning. As web companies strive to tailor their services (including news and search results) to our personal tastes, there's a dangerous unintended consequence: We get trapped in a "filter bubble" and don't get exposed to information that could challenge or broaden our worldview. Eli Pariser argues powerfully that this will ultimately prove to be bad for us and bad for democracy.

Why do our Brains Love Fake news? Watch this short video to learn about Confirmation Bias and how it relates to Fake News.

The confirmation bias applies to how we seek, interpret, and remember information. When we want to believe something, we tend to only seek evidence that confirms our desired belief and ignore the rest. When we do come across disconfirming evidence, we are more likely to dismiss the evidence and not critically evaluate it (Nickerson, 1998). If two people have the same information, the information is generally interpreted in such a way that supports one's existing beliefs (Lord, Ross, & Lepper, 1979). People who seek and interpret information critically and systematically, without bias, can still later recall the information selectively based on existing beliefs (Hamilton, 2005).