Libraries worldwide have made a commitment to help their users and patrons improve their understanding of all kinds of literacies, including textual literacy, digital literacy, civic literacy, health literacy, financial literacy, and information/media literacy. This last type of literacy--the ability to "recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information"1--is the focus of this guide. See more about the American Library Association’s (ALA’s) commitment to literacy initiatives here.
At the time of this writing, anyone with an internet connection can create content that can be shared and can go viral faster than the time it takes to read this sentence. The internet does not require any of its content to be true or verifiable. Nothing on the internet is guaranteed to be a true statement, a logical claim, a commonly-held belief, or—now that AI-produced content exists—even produced by a human. This content may have no editors, no gatekeepers, and no referees.
However, internet-based content is not categorically bad, untrue, invalid, or wrong. Because of the openness of the internet, content creators and consumers can connect and exchange ideas online more freely than ever before and in real time.
So what can a savvy searcher do to determine what online content is good, what is bad, and what is just plain ugly?
While there are no shortcuts to checking claims or facts, there are some strategies and resources that we can share with you to make your search for information smoother. Click the blue boxes at the left of your screen (on a computer) or at the top of your screen (on mobile devices) to dive deeper.
A brief glossary of some key terms regarding searching can be found below (under Some Key Terms for the Savvy Searcher). Because of the speed at which the online world changes, this list is by no means complete.
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Political rumors and misinformation pollute the political landscape. This is not a recent phenomenon; before the currently rampant and unfounded rumors about a stolen election and vote-rigging, there were other rumors that continued to spread even after they were thoroughly debunked, including doubts about 9/11 (an "inside job") and the furor over President Obama's birthplace and birth certificate. If misinformation crowds out the truth, how can Americans communicate with one another about important issues? In this book, Adam Berinsky examines why political rumors exist and persist despite their unsubstantiated and refuted claims, who is most likely to believe them, and how to combat them.Drawing on original survey and experimental data, Berinsky shows that a tendency toward conspiratorial thinking and vehement partisan attachment fuel belief in rumors. Yet the reach of rumors is wide, and Berinsky argues that in fighting misinformation, it is as important to target the undecided and the uncertain as it is the true believers. We're all vulnerable to misinformation, and public skepticism about the veracity of political facts is damaging to democracy. Moreover, in a world where most people simply don't pay attention to politics, political leaders are often guilty of disseminating false information—and failing to correct it when it is proven wrong. Berinsky suggests that we should focus on the messenger as much as the message of rumors. Just as important as how misinformation is debunked is who does the debunking.
| term | definition | source |
| bias | a) an inclination of temperament or outlook; especially: a personal and sometimes unreasoned judgment : PREJUDICE; b) an instance of such prejudice |
Merriam- Webster Dictionary |
| clickbait | an internet story, title, image, etc. that is intended to attract attention and encourage people to click on a link | Cambridge Dictionary |
| confirmation bias | people’s tendency to process information by looking for, or interpreting, information that is consistent with their existing beliefs. | Britannica |
| crisis actor |
a professional or volunteer actor who plays a role in a staged drill in order to prepare or train first responders for a specific emergency scenario; or (in a false flag conspiracy theory) a person pretending to be a victim in a hoax attack. |
Dictionary.com |
| deepfake | any of various media, esp. a video, that has been digitally manipulated to replace one person's likeness convincingly with that of another, often used maliciously to show someone doing something that he or she did not do. | Oxford Languages |
| disinformation | deliberately misleading or biased information; manipulated narrative or facts; propaganda | Dictionary.com |
| filter bubble | an environment and especially an online environment in which people are exposed only to opinions and information that conform to their existing beliefs | Merriam- Webster Dictionary |
| go viral | if a video, image, or story goes viral, it spreads quickly and widely on the internet through social media and email. | Collins Dictionary |
| misinformation | incorrect or misleading information | Merriam- Webster Dictionary |
| parody | a literary or musical work in which the style of an author or work is closely imitated for comic effect or in ridicule | Merriam- Webster Dictionary |
| satire | a poem or (in later use) a novel, film, or other work of art which uses humour, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize prevailing immorality or foolishness, esp. as a form of social or political commentary. | Oxford Languages |
| troll | a troll is Internet slang for a person who intentionally tries to instigate conflict, hostility, or arguments in an online social community. | GCF Global |
