It’s cold and flu season, which means Amanda Irions’s metaphor likening the spread of misinformation and disinformation to that of a common cold is perfectly timed.
The Assistant Professor of Communication at Doane credited sociologist Damon Centola’s work that compares the spread of information and behavior to that of disease. Transmission of both may require just one contact, more complex ideas might require more contacts.
Irions recently discussed how misinformation and disinformation spread through social networks on a radio segment with Amantha Dickman, news director at KZUM Radio in Lincoln. (Irions previously appeared on the local news radio station in 2023 when she discussed media literacy.)
Irions said viewing how information spreads through relationships helps people build strong friendships and partnerships with peers. But first, Irions said it’s important to understand the difference between the two concepts.
“Misinformation is just repeating something that is not true, whereas disinformation is intentionally repeating something that is not true, with the desire to have that kind of power imbalance over people,” Irions said.
It’s not a new concept. Irions taught about deception 20 years ago, and how her students better detect it in relationships. Students nowadays have been so exposed to misinformation and disinformation that they don’t see the point in learning how to combat it.
They’ve adopted an ‘if everybody else does it, why can’t I?’ mentality. Politicians lie and mislead. Clickbait headlines exaggerate the truth. Social media videos cherry pick interview moments.
“One of the things that we have to remind ourselves is, yes, we might see people in power doing that, but we can still make choices in our own lives about what kind of person we want to be and and what and how we want to be in relationship with other people,” Irions said.
The first choice students can make when presented with misinformation or disinformation? Slow down. Before reacting or regurgitating, Irions challenges students to learn about the information’s source and identify potential bias.
A project in her “Fundamentals of Communication” class this fall required students to take a photo of what they thought resembled back-to-school relationships. Then, they had to take additional photos of what was happening around them. What was happening behind the camera? To the left and right out of frame?
The end result showed students that their reality can change with additional context.
But slowing down to ask questions about an outlet or person’s intention, bias and perspective takes time and effort. It’s much simpler to just accept what someone — especially our friends — as the truth.
“It keeps people feeling good about relationships,” Irions said. “It would be bad for trust, bad for good feeling if we sat and researched everything people say.”
In her public relations and communication classes, Irions challenges her students to ask those deeper questions and seek evidence. Over the course of the semester, Irions sees their defensive walls lower. They no longer see questions as confrontation, but as the pathway to stronger and healthier relationships with one another, and the world.
Listen to the full discussion between Amanda Irions and Amantha Dickman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlCSGRex5TA
