From a Post-Truth World to a Pro-Truth World

IND101 CORNERSTONE A: FOUNDATIONS

Module 4 Discussion

From a Post-Truth World to a Pro-Truth World

Today, the prevalence of social media, the rise of algorithms, filter bubbles, “bots”, and international hacking efforts have brought the issue of “fake news” to the forefront of our national and international consciousness.  As you read in the webtext this week, the spread of misinformation is not an entirely new problem and it does not have one simple solution. However, there are changes all information consumers can make to how they engage with stories, facts, and data that can lead us from a “post-truth” world to a “pro-truth” world.

Begin by reading chapter 4 of the webtext and viewing all of Professor Alex Edmans’ TED Talk “What to Trust in a ‘Post-Truth’ World”, below.

Edmans, Al. (2018). What to trust in a “post-truth” world (Links to an external site.). TedTalk. [Video: 17:40 minutes]. Transcripts  Download Transcripts.

Discussion Instructions

Initial post:  By Thursday of Module 4, create an initial post that responds to each of the prompts below:

Edmans argues that confirmation bias causes us to believe information that confirms our point of view, which sometimes leads to accepting and sharing information that is fake, misleading, or misrepresentative. Think of an example of this from your own life. How did confirmation bias shape your understanding of an issue?

How do you think we can move beyond confirmation bias to make sure what we’re accepting and sharing is true?

You will not be able to see posts written by your classmates until you create your initial post.

Replies: From Friday through Sunday of Module 4, reply to your classmates’ initial posts and engage with them in a conversation about the future of this topic. Do you think the problem of confirmation bias and “fake news” is likely to get better or worse in the future? Why? Please be sure to reply to at least two of your peers’ posts.