How to spot misinformation online

We’ve all seen a lot of misinformation that seems absolutely crazy or unbelievable online these days.【小题1】: you have ways you can use to help sort through misinformation and identify what’s real and what’s fake.

Pause and be skeptical about new information.

Whenever you come across an article or post sharing information that you haven’t seen before, take a second to consider it. Don’t just scroll by accepting it as a fact or share the information without exercising some skepticism first. It’s okay to be doubtful! 【小题2】.

Confirm the source and date of the information.

Look up the information at the source to see if it was actually published there. Double-check the date of the article to make sure it’s current and still accurate. Usually, the date is located next to the author of the article. The date can be a really big deal.【小题3】.

Check to see if you can tell who the original author is.

【小题4】. Check to see if the author is an expert or a journalist who often covers the subject to make sure they know what they're talking about. If an article or information doesn’t list the author, it’s a sign that it could be false or misleading information. For example, an article about health and wellness written by a registered doctor is more credible than one without an author listed.

【小题5】.

Misinformation is often designed to make you feel angry, sad, scared, or just plain old upset. If you spot a claim, article, headline or any other information that causes you to feel a super-strong emotion, be cautious. It could be a sign that it’s fake and designed to get a reaction out of you. If you come across a headline that says, “NEW LAW TAKES AWAY PET DOGS,” it’s most likely false or at least misleading.

Misinformation isn’t just annoying, it can be dangerous. But by identifying it, you can help stop the spread of it.

Have you ever been on social media and seen your favourite superstars talking about a product? These endorsements(代言) might not be totally accidental, and are actually seen as a important part of the marketing process.【小题1】.

Human desire for making friends, combined with our need to belong to a group, make us easy to be ‘socially influenced’. 【小题2】. So, what do these endorsements actually do?

Firstly, they can be used to build brand(品牌) awareness. A social media influencer should have a strong understanding of the platform they operate on, and therefore can create engaging content that not only contributes to the brand image, but sparks their followers’ interests in a product they might never have seen before.

Secondly, influencers can improve a company or product’s relationship with their customer base. According to InMoment’s 2018 US Retail CX Trends Report on customer loyalty, 77% of buyers have been brand loyal for more than ten years.【小题3】. A popular star can talk or blog about a product, which can create an instant and lasting bond with the consumer.

【小题4】. We are more likely to respond to ‘peer recommendation’ than traditional ads, meaning the fact we see an influencer as a ‘friend’ can make us less likely to be sceptical about what we are seeing.

So, the next time you see a celebrity talking about a product, you might want to consider it.【小题5】. If you find yourself perusing(细看) a product you’ve seen on social media, you may well have been influenced.

Two days after eight e-sports (电子竞技) games were officially announced to be included in the 19th Asian Games, China’s Edward Gaming (EDG) team earned its first League of Legends World Championship title with a 3-2 win over South Korea in a tough battle on November 7th, immediately drawing cheers from people around the country. The topic “EDG wins” had been viewed more than 2.63 billion times as of press on Sina Weibo, ranking the top trending topic for a long time.

With the popularity of digital technology, new forms of cultural exchanges have been appearing, of which e-sports are the most popular. Unlike texts and videos, e-sports go beyond the barriers of language and are understandable around the world. E-sports mostly appeal to those in their early 20s, as shown by the carnival (狂欢) of college students. That in turn makes them a good bridge of communication between young Chinese people and their counterparts (对应的人) around the world.

More importantly, the e-sports industry is sustainable in spreading Chinese culture, as the large audiences mean huge commercial potential. In 2020 alone, the sales revenue of the domestic e-sports industry exceeded 278.69 billion yuan, and involved 280,000 enterprises which in turn created over 10 million jobs. According to a media report, nearly 95 percent of graduates from e-sports majors at the Communication University of China in Nanjing, succeeded in finding a job after graduation this year, with 62 percent of them devoted to the e-sports industry, including video game clubs, game design companies and game competition operation companies.

The inclusion of e-sports in major sporting events has been a much-discussed topic in recent years. With more Chinese gaming clubs and teams emerging, the industry is expected to further prosper and continue spreading Chinese culture to the world.