Because of the internet, a tremendous amount of information is now available to us. More than 700,000 hours of video are added to YouTube every day, and millions of posts are shared on Instagram and Facebook. Facts spread fast, but so does disinformation—and experts say it’s a growing problem.
Why do people spread lies online? Money is a big motivation. Companies pay to place ads on websites, and they want their ads on websites that get a lot of visitors.
One way to attract more visitors is to post crazy ideas: Did aliens land in the desert? Is Bigfoot living in Oregon? These questions make people curious—so they click the link.
That may sound unimportant—after all, believing in aliens or Bigfoot seems pretty harmless—but some lies can result in real damage.
In January 2020, a doctor in Europe announced to reporters that 5G cell phone towers might be spreading the coronavirus. They weren’t, of course—but the idea quickly spread online, and soon people were setting fire to 5G towers because they believed it was true.