Featured image by United Nations on Unsplash

Last week, we spoke about User Generated Content and its importance in sharing information. This week, I want to take a deeper look at the negative aspects of UGC and why it is so important to fact check and verify your sources.

Whether deliberately or accidentally inaccurate, UGC does not always come from trustworthy sources. Recently, due to the Coronavirus outbreak, there have been more rumours and misinformation spreading than ever before.

In one case, a couple in Arizona drank fish tank cleaner because chloroquine was an ingredient listed on the bottle. Chloroquine is also the name of a drug some sources were claiming could be effective in fighting Covid-19. The couple were subsequently rushed to hospital, where the husband lost his life. So far, there has been no evidence to suggest that chloroquine has any effect on the virus.

There have been so many cases of misinformation surrounding the coronavirus, that social media sites have had to intervene and crack down on the sharing of unverified information.

So how can you protect yourself from falling victim to disinformation?

The video linked below is from MediaWise and gives some useful information on how to fact check your sources. It features various Youtubers, journalists and reporters all sharing their advice on how to stop the spread of misinformation. These are the questions to ask yourself:

• Who is sharing this information?
• What evidence has been provided?
• Where is the person sharing the information based?
• When was the information posted or updated?
• Why is this person posting this content?

Once you answer these questions, you’ll have a better idea of whether this information is reliable.

So, what do you think? Are there any other ways you can verify information? Let me know in the comments.