Journal Entry #7 - Hoaxes

October 22nd’s class was about hoaxes and how easily people can be convinced to believe something that is not true. We discussed examples like the Great Moon Hoax, where a newspaper claimed scientists had discovered life on the moon, and the War of the Worlds broadcast, which presented a fictional alien invasion as if it were real. I think these examples show how much people depend on the information they are given, especially when it comes from a source they trust—or for modern times, TikTok or Instagram. 

Something I found interesting was the psychology behind why people believe hoaxes. Confirmation bias, authority bias, and social proof can all influence how we interpret information. I think this is especially relevant today because people often see something online and immediately believe or share it without checking whether it is accurate. Sometimes, if enough people are talking about something, we assume there must be some truth to it. Repeated exposure can also make false information seem more believable or real.

They also mentioned how technology has made this issue harder to deal with. With AI, people can create realistic videos, images, and even fake celebrity statements. It can be difficult to know what is real anymore, especially when information spreads so quickly through social media. I think we have a responsibility to be more aware of what we consume and share. This topic made me think about how important it is to question information, look for reliable sources, and avoid jumping to conclusions before knowing the full story.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Journal Entry #2- Propaganda and Dr. Rich Enos

Yesterday in class, Dr. Rich Enos came and discussed perception and persuasion. I thoroughly enjoyed Dr. Enos and the way he was able to keep us engaged in what he was talking about. The card trick in the beginning really tricked me at first, and then I was able to figure out what happened once he started talking again. This reinforces the idea that we need to pause and reflect in order to sort out the fallacies from what is actually truth.  His demonstration of Mia (the baby) and Fang (the diamondback) was a wonderful way to help us experience the difference between perception and reality. Not only does it educate us on perception, it allows us to understand other people during times where we have different realities. For example, if there's a misunderstanding between me and another person, it's most likely just a difference in perception and what we think is true. Learning that time is a factor in persuasion is also applicable to real life because oftentimes, we need to just ...
Read more

Journal Entry #3 - Phishing 101

This journal entry is regarding the phishing topic from 9/10 (I just got the time to write this entry). I truly enjoyed the presentation by Mia and Olivia. They were comfortable in front of the class, and the class was engaging a fair amount as well. I also enjoyed their use of videos in their presentation which made it more interesting. Anyways, I learned a few things too.  I learned that people often use your emotions against you by using things like trust, fear, curiosity, and most prominently, a sense of urgency to get you to bypass any critical thinking and be deceived or successfully phished (probably not an actual term). Again, it's a reminder to pause in everyday life and to be skeptical when things seem a little too good, just like we learned from Dr. Rich Enos and his discussion over propaganda and perception vs reality. For example, someone brought up how a girl tried befriending her but instead was trying to do some fishy (get it?) things on her phone. This was slightly...
Read more

Journal Entry #1- Paper Moon

Today in class, we watched Paper Moon , and I genuinely thought it was a charming and entertaining movie. I enjoyed the relationship between Moses and Addie and how it developed throughout the movie. In the beginning, Moses seems concerned only with himself and making money. Addie, on the other hand, showed to be street-smart, which is unexpected from a 9 year old girl. I liked how Addie stood up for herself and even helped others out in the movie. It showed her compassion, and it compliments Moses because they balanced each other out and challenge each other. Having Addie around seemed to make him care about someone other than himself, which Moses probably needed in his life. Their relationship made me think about how sometimes the people we meet can influence us and bring out parts of our personality that we might not normally show, and how others can bring out the best in you and help you develop. The movie also connected to what we have been learning about confirmation bias, propag...
Read more