Page 20
"There is! There's lots of different ways, but this particular sign has three clues. You already know about the typo. And even bigger clue is that some words are in all caps. How do you feel when you read words in all caps?"
"Like I'm being yelled at."
"Bingo. People who create misinformation often pick select words to put in all caps in order to invoke strong emotions in the ready. Notice the words they picked? 'Cannibal' is capitalized because it's shocking and the word most likely to upset you. 'They' and 'you' is capitalized because the sign is implying that something is being done to you or being kept from you. This is on purpose because when we feel we are being treated unfairly, we get angry."
"So, the whole purpose is to make us angry?"
"Basically. When we're upset, angry, or outraged, we don't think as logically as we do when we're calm. We make poorer decisions, including falling for misinformation and sharing it with our friends. Another way this sign is written to make us angry is the use of 'they.' Notice how vague 'they' is?"
The guards nod in unison.
"That's also done on purpose. The writers are allowing you to unconsciously use your imagination to fill in the missing information. Often with misinformation, our implicit biases will associate negative words with things we already feel negative about. Since 'they' are the 'bad guys' in this scenario, we're more likely to assume it's someone we don't like...."
"And that makes us even angrier!" answers one guard. Another guard responds, "Which makes us even more likely to share!"
You beam in pride at your impromptu class. "That's right. Do you think you have the skills to spot misinformation in the future?"
The guards cheer, sending sheep and chickens scurrying. They quickly regain the composure. "We're good?" asks the head guard.
"We're good," you reply.
YOU HAVE LIVED
