Misinformation on the Internet

We have this amazing tool at our disposal; we can sit in a chair and learn anything we want using the internet. This resource has revolutionized our ability to disseminate knowledge and ideas, allows for instant communication, and has brought the world closer together than ever before in our history. Of course we would screw it up.

I sit here every morning and write a new blog post, and I do my best to make sure that every piece of information I provide is accurate so that you can be better prepared for a plunge into passive income, working from home/online, trying new hobbies, and more. What if I were to just make something up? It wouldn't be hard to do; I could generate a random conspiracy theory, knowingly provide false information on something important, or start a rumor about someone with damning consequences... all in the name of more clicks.

That is the main reason I made my website; I'm tired of all the misinformation being spread about making money online and how you can get rich quick, but what about something more dire? People sit in their pajamas at their home computer every single day and write articles that are knowingly false with click-bait headlines, just enough factual information to make it believable, and then finish with a lie so profoundly wrong that it makes you wonder how they get away with it.

They get away with it because in the world of blogging we can say whatever we want. I can set this page up to look exactly like it came from a random news network you've never heard before, post links in a way that they look like they lead to articles worth reading when it actuality they are ads, and do my very best to coax every single ad view/click I can get out of you with articles titled "Top 10 hottest celebrities" or "Watch what this guy did next: You won't believe your eyes!"

The next time you are flicking through your feed or visiting a "news" site check out whether that article is listed as sponsored or paying to be there. See a bunch of "Next" or "Continue Reading" buttons? Ads are a necessary evil for those of us wanting to make blogs, and sometimes we get the balance of ads to article wrong, but the amount on many of the sites that some people are using to get their "news" is just horrendous.

I guess you could say this is a rant, but I feel like it's more than that. We need to be responsible for the information we allow to change our perceptions, and it is our job to ensure that what we choose to believe can be verified by more than "they said..."

We live in a time where misinformation is one of the most powerful weapons in the world. All it takes is someone writing an article in their pajamas to cause people to believe something completely untrue, and honestly we should be ashamed at ourselves for allowing it to get to this point. I want no part in it, and as such will continue to do my level best to make sure this site isn't swayed by disinformation or uses it in an attempt to grow a reader base and make money off of lies.

Most of you are already completely aware of what I'm saying, but there will always be those who need a helping hand. If you hear someone spreading a conspiracy theory or news that comes from a disreputable source and is obviously false then talk to them about it; we won't win this war with guns because it is a war of ideas, and the only way to fight an idea is WITH an idea and talking from a place of kindness and respect. If they choose to continue, well then at least you tried.

Like this article and want to read more? Check out The Blog! where I do daily posts about passive income streams, working from home/online, my hobbies, home repairs, and things that I think truly matter.