4 tips to avoid making mistakes

In recent years, communication has changed so few times in human history. In Europe, we have seen how platforms such as Facebook or WhatsApp have become hegemonic.

At first, they were only used to replace old cats or to share photos of our daily life. However, little by little, a use for which they were not designed became popular: the dissemination of information.

A growing problem

This change, or addition, since they have continued to be used for what they were created for, is not in itself a problem, but it is one that many have. interest in manipulating public opinion.

As the costs of sending information online are low, more and more governments, platforms or political parties are using them to mobilize their supporters or to confuse opponents. And in Europe one in three Spaniards uses WhatsApp to find out

Added to this are individuals looking to make money from fake news that can sometimes end in tragedy. But even without reaching these extremes, it is easy for us to be manipulated with messages reaching us through WhatsApp.

Tips for not being fooled by the news on WhatsApp

The actions that we are going to comment on apply to the messaging platform, but they can be extrapolated to almost any social network and ultimately to any means of communication.

Do not transmit without reading

One of the deadly sins of Twitter, but also of applications like WhatsApp or Facebook, is to transmit without reading. We see a title, it seems logical, we share. Maybe the news indicates something different, maybe it’s wrong, but it doesn’t matter because we’ve already shared it. Its reach has multiplied.

Every time you are going to pass something on it is because after reading it it looks worthy for others to see it as well.

Find the original source

All media can make mistakes, they can make mistakes or publish something wrong. However, a brand is still much less likely to risk losing its reputation built over the years than a two-day-old website starts spreading hoaxes.

If the news that reaches you does not have a reliable sender, be more hesitant. And this applies on the contrary. Be careful not to believe what’s anywhere just because it seems to come from a respectable medium, you don’t have to either.

If he confirms your opinion, he doubts twice

This is one of the keys to the dissemination of current information. Confirmation bias is sought because humans tend to take information that supports our opinion as true. That is why we have to doubt these types of messages twice.

If a message, article or link they send us makes us think that we are right, that what we think is true, and that the rival (whoever it is) is the culprit, doubt it. Always doubt.

The screenshots are fake

Information sharing has become popular on WhatsApp, especially from networks such as Twitter, via screenshots. Granted, it’s a pretty quick and convenient way to send someone a sentence using an image, but they’re also exceptionally easy to handle.

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