1st Edition
by Justin P. McBrayer (Author)
The world is swimming in misinformation. Conflicting messages bombard
us every day with news on everything from politics and world events to
investments and alternative health. The daily paper, nightly news,
websites, and social media each compete for our attention and each often
insist on a different version of the facts. Inevitably, we have
questions:
- Who is telling the truth?
- How would we know?
- How did we get here?
- What can we do?
Beyond Fake News
answers these and other queries. It offers a technological and
market-based explanation for how our informational environment became so
polluted. It shows how purveyors of news often have incentives to
mislead us, and how consumers of information often have incentives to be
misled. And it chronicles how, as technology improves and the
regulatory burdens drop, our information-scape becomes ever more
littered with misinformation. Beyond Fake News argues that even
when we really want the truth, our minds are built in such a way so as
to be incapable of grasping many facts, and blind spots mar our view of
the world. But we can do better, both as individuals and as a society.
As individuals, we can improve the accuracy of our understanding of the
world by knowing who to trust and recognizing our limitations. And as a
society, we can take important steps to reduce the quantity and effects
of misinformation.
