According to the American Psychological Association, people who are more exposed to misinformation are more likely to believe it. That, in turn, increases their chances of spreading it. Meanwhile, folks don’t have to believe misinformation to spread it: some people share info they know is fake just because it’s politically or socially useful to do so. Generally speaking, most people don’t have the time to cross-reference every single claim they come across online. So, they have to rely on the reputation of a source. Credible and reliable sources will strive to always provide information or links about the original sources where they get their information from. This way, anyone can double-check the info instead of relying purely on the goodwill of the reporting source. To put it bluntly, governmental websites and those of well-known organizations will usually be more trustworthy than sites dedicated purely to making a profit. But the other side of the coin is that—sadly—internet drama, clickbait, gossip, bias, and controversial opinions get a ton of attention because they make you feel intense emotions. Good sources are willing to fact-check their claims and own up to any mistakes they make. They’re huge on transparency and take responsibility for their errors. Bad sources are happy to ‘report’ on anything that’s going to get clicks and don’t care about factual accuracy. The illusory truth effect denotes that human beings tend to believe a (real or fake) fact is more plausible the more they hear it. This happens even if you initially know the claim to be completely and utterly bogus. The curators of the page cover a bit of everything, from the news and history to more bizarre and even slightly mysterious happenings. Which of the facts in this list caught you completely by surprise, Pandas? On the flip side, which facts did you already know about before? If you have a free moment or two, share your thoughts in the comments section at the bottom of this post. Follow Bored Panda on Google News! Follow us on Flipboard.com/@boredpanda! Please use high-res photos without watermarks Ooops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB.
