Skip to content
Skip to main content
header search
ahihi OpenLearn
OpenLearn
Menu
sticky search

About this free course

Author

Become an OU student

Download this course

Share this free course

Course content Course content
Why riot? Community, choices, aspirations
Why riot? Community, choices, aspirations

Start this free course now. Just create an account and sign in. Enrol and complete the course for a free statement of participation or digital badge if available.

More free courses

3.1 Information, misinformation, disinformation

There are many kinds of false information some of which are outlined below. Click the following labels in Interactive Figure 9 to reveal the answer. When clicking on the top hexagonal shapes, you may need to scroll down slightly to see the information box (that appears below the image) on your screen.

Active content not displayed. This content requires JavaScript to be enabled.
Figure 9 (interactive): Different types of false information
Show description|Hide description

Misinformation: The sharing of false inaccurate and misleading information in an unintentional way. For example, you might repost a message sent to you that you thought to be true but turned out to be false.

Disinformation: The deliberate sharing of false or inaccurate information with the intention to cause harm, for example by falsely discrediting someone or by stirring up hatred.

Fake news: The intentional falsification and fabrication of news-based information with the purpose to harm and deceive people.

Fake images: Photographs or visual material that has been manipulated to deceive people. You can use tools such as Tineye and Google reverse image to check whether a picture is real or fake.

Deep fakes: A video or photo which has been digitally altered to replace the person in the original video with someone else – often a public figure. Examples of people who have been subject to deep fakes include former US president Barrack Obama and the actor Tom Cruise.

Propaganda: A video or photo which has been digitally altered to replace the person in the original video with someone else – often a public figure. Examples of people who have been subject to deep fakes include former US president Barrack Obama and the actor Tom Cruise.

Figure 9 (interactive): Different types of false information
Interactive feature not available in single page view (see it in standard view).

While you can’t avoid false information, you can read more widely, talk to people outside your circles and read mainstream reputable news sources, to burst your filter bubbles. At the end of this session, you will find lots of resources to explore and quizzes you can try on how to recognise deep fakes, misinformation and propaganda.

You can also use your thinking and questioning skills to help you evaluate the quality of the information and to make good decisions for you. Let’s look at some tips and tricks for doing this.