The Age of Misinformation - A survival guide

Welcome to the Swamp

Remember when "news" meant the six o'clock broadcast, the morning paper, or that one guy at work who always had a strong opinion about everything? Those days are gone. Now, anyone with Wi-Fi and a grudge can go viral.

We are living in a time when information has never been more accessible—and less reliable. Truth and fiction live side by side, dressed in the same fonts, wearing the same headlines, shared with the same outrage.

Misinformation isn’t just a nuisance. It’s a threat. It erodes trust, polarizes communities, and hijacks the very foundation of democracy: an informed public.

But here’s the good news: we can get smarter. We can learn to see through the fog.

Why We Fall for It: The Psychology of Deception

If you’ve ever thought, "How could they believe that?", here’s a humbling truth: we all believe what we want to believe.

Misinformation preys on very human instincts:

• We seek patterns.

• We crave certainty.

• We naturally incline to favour the familiar.

• We want to feel in control.

Conspiracies offer simple stories in a complex world. They provide good guys, bad guys, and a clear path to righteous indignation. They're emotionally satisfying. And emotionally satisfying is easier to believe than intellectually rigorous. (You can just feel; no need to work at thinking too hard.)

Add to that our brain’s love of repetition (if we hear it often enough, we think it's true), our discomfort with uncertainty, and the dopamine hit we get from outrage, and you have a perfect storm for belief without evidence.

The Role of Assumptions

Assumptions make daily life possible. We assume our brakes will work, the lights will turn on, and that milk isn’t secretly mayonnaise. But in politics and media, assumptions can get dangerous.

We assume:

• That our "side" tells the truth.

• That opposing voices are malicious.

• That if it confirms our view, it must be right.

We rarely ask: What am I assuming here? And what if I’m wrong?

That question—what if I’m wrong?—isn’t just humility. It’s protection.

Checking the Facts (Before You Share That Link)

Let’s be honest: none of us has time to fact-check everything. But we do have time to pause.

Before you repost, retweet, or forward that explosive article to your group chat, try this:

Source Check: Who published it? Is it a known news outlet or something like "MapleLeafTruthBuzz.ru"?

Author Check: Is there a byline? Does that person exist? (Where?)

Confirmation: Is anyone else credible reporting this?

Emotional Hook: Does it make you feel angry, superior, or vindicated? That’s your cue to slow down.

The truth rarely screams. It usually arrives in a steady voice, with context and nuance—which makes it less clickable, but more valuable.

Feeling vs. Knowing

A dangerous phrase has crept into public life: "I just feel like it's true."

Feelings are real. But they aren’t facts. And when we elevate feelings above facts, we stop being citizens and start being consumers of identity politics. We pick our version of reality based on how it makes us feel, not what it makes us understand.

If we want to defend democracy, we have to re-learn the difference between believing and knowing. Between being moved and being manipulated.

Reframing Our Role: From Receiver to Filter

Most of us still see ourselves as receivers of information. We turn on the news, scroll the feed, and absorb what shows up.

But in the misinformation age, that passivity is a vulnerability.

We need to become filters:

• Curious, not reactive.

• Discerning, not dismissive.

• Calm, not outraged.

This isn’t just about protecting our own minds. It’s about what we model for our kids, our communities, our country.

The Canadian Challenge

We’re not immune.

The myth that misinformation is "an American problem"; “a Russian conspiracy”; “Chinese voodoo” is itself a form of denial. We've seen it infiltrate our politics, our protests, our dinner tables.

And because it seems to be in our national character to avoid conflict, we often avoid correcting people. We don't want to rock the boat. But silence is not neutrality. It’s permission.

If we want a Canada built on truth, we have to be willing to speak up for it.

The Invitation

This isn’t about becoming an expert in geopolitics or fact-checking every post. It’s about becoming a more mindful citizen.

When we:

• Ask questions...

• Check assumptions...

• Choose facts over feelings...

• Resist the pull of outrage...

...we do more than protect ourselves. We strengthen the fabric of our democracy.

The truth is still out there. But now it needs allies.

How does one become an ally of truth? (I have some ideas but I'd love to hear what yours are)