How to Respond If Your Friends Share COVID-19 Misinformation
We all probably have someone on our friends list who shares a lot of suspicious information about the coronavirus. Pseudo-factual conspiracy theories circulate in abundance on Facebook, and it’s very frustrating to see them relayed by people you know and love. You may be tempted to remove them from your friends or ignore their messages – both are valid if you choose to accept them – but when it comes to countering misinformation, you have more options than you think.
Your friends trust you
Yes, even those who post nonsense on your Facebook wall. Chances are, you are someone’s most trusted source: amid the rapid proliferation of Plandemic’s video, many posted it, admitting that they were unsure of the statements made, but thought they were important or wanted to ask their more informed friends. for their opinion. Posting something on social media implies that we want to hear what others think about it.
With this trust comes both strength and responsibility. Think about how fans listen to celebrities, even if they don’t have any authority over the subject they’re talking about. In every community there are many smaller examples of this phenomenon, because we all have people whom we respect and whose opinions we attach special importance to. Maybe this is your rabbi, your doctor, your mother, your yoga teacher, that colleague who is always the first to hear the best gossip and for some reason is always right about it. Sometimes you don’t even know that you are that friend to someone, but all the time they listened carefully to what you were saying.
These days, if you work in medicine or are particularly good at staying on top of the news, you’re almost guaranteed to end up in someone’s pantheon of trusted sources. People listen to you even if you don’t realize it.
Your words carry more weight to those around you than to the person you are talking to.
Someone who fully agrees with the conspiracy theory is not easy to convince. As thoughtful as your answer is, they will dig harder. After all, the hallmark of a conspiracy theory is that it persists regardless of evidence .
But when you talk about disinformation, your audience is not just the person you are talking to. On Facebook, for example, hundreds of people can see a post without comment and without your knowledge: your friends, their friends, members of the group to which you both belong.
For this reason, I prefer to keep the talk of disinformation publicly. If someone sends you a DM and wants to know more, seriously consider how helpful the conversation would be. If they are angry and just want to fight, it’s not worth your time. If they are important to you and you think you can change their minds, that’s your right.
Something else about these sometimes invisible observers: most of them probably didn’t believe the latest wacky theory; they just say little about it anyway. To take another example, the number of anti-vaccine posts may exceed the number of posts praising vaccines. This is because most people vaccinate their children and do not attach much importance to it. They don’t write more about it than they write, “Hey, look, I brushed my teeth today.” So if you see a lot of misinformation, don’t be discouraged.
Start with questions
Some misinformation can be cleared up on the basis of facts. If someone tells you that COVID-19 cases are falling in your state, you can show them the real numbers. If they say “CDC says …” something is false, you can point to the CDC website where it actually says otherwise. When it’s a simple statement, the facts work.
But in most cases, the person giving the misinformation is more influenced by tone or subtext than actual facts. Before going into details, ask them some open-ended questions and listen – really listen – to their answers:
- How did you believe this?
- What worries you about this whole situation?
You don’t have to ask them in exactly those words, but ask. Here you will find out that they are actually worried about something other than the news they posted. In fact, they may be seriously worried about their family, their health, or their job. And don’t be afraid to share your story and concerns. Finding out how you arrived at your conclusions can help them change their own.
Push off without insulting them
You maintain the greatest confidence when you are respectful and honest.
In the most frighteningly effective propaganda, the “talking head” is calm and collected, speaking with ease and authority. Good propagandists speak softly and let everyone else get angry and upset. Take Plandemic for example.
But there is another reason to stay calm: remember that these people are your friends. (Both friends of friends and everyone who is watching.) People basically just want to be understood and their concerns heard.
So be nice to your friends. If you are going to omit a link that exposes what they are posting about, think about the tone of the article you choose. We wrote our Plandemic post with these people in mind; Anyone who has watched the video and found it compelling can read our article and not feel offended. Most of the people you talk to are probably smart and mostly good people.
And be honest. If you don’t know the answer, tell me about it, do not come up with it. If you have changed your mind about something in the past, tell us why it happened. And if you agree with some parts of what your friend is saying, point out the areas where you agree.
For more on how to talk to people about misinformation, check out this article from Liz Neely about talking with friends about the coronavirus, this one from Tara Halle about countering propaganda like Plandemic, and the last few pages of the Conspiracy Theory Handbook .
Encourage them to ask their own questions.
No one likes to feel like they are being drawn into propaganda, but ironically, a lot of propaganda will tell you that you, the viewer, are clearly thinking for yourself if you read this article or watch this video. These are all those other sources that are real propaganda.
It is true that a little critical thinking goes a long way. Here are some questions you can ask yourself and that you can invite your friends to ask:
- What makes me trust this source? For example, if it’s a news website, do I recognize it?
- What is this person’s experience and experience? No one is an expert at everything, but some will pretend.
- How can we confirm that this information is correct? If the only source is the video itself or the article, or if the corroborating information comes from closely related sources, isn’t that suspicious?
- Is there some important context that we are missing? Sometimes the fact may seem intimidating or indicative of wrongdoing, but it turns out that we are lacking relevant context. Maybe the article is five years old. Perhaps the cited study is about something else entirely.
Consider the roadway
You don’t have to spend hours of your life trying to convince people. Sometimes your good deed may be to just give a quick opinion, just to make it clear to others that not everyone agrees with him.
Maybe you have a link or a quick fact that you want to share, or maybe just the opinion, “I’ve seen this story and didn’t find it credible.” Here’s what you do:
- Leave this quick comment.
- Click the menu at the top of the message and unsubscribe. (Facebook and Twitter have an option to do this; other platforms may differ.)
This way, you will not receive notifications that will bring you back to the conversation. (Also, try not to go back and check the answers. Your job is done here.) This quick comment probably won’t change anyone, but it might change the tone of the final conversation. And who knows – it might make someone think a little critically on their own.