Have you ever heard the phrase “snake oil salesman”? Maybe not—no one has sold “snake oil” since before your grandparents’ time.
But snake oil is sold in many forms on the Internet, and it’s your job to recognize it and reject it.
What?? I hope I don’t get oil on my keyboard!
A “snake oil salesman” is someone who is selling you a fake product. These days, that product could be a thing…
cure your acne in 24 hours with this new ointment!
an idea…
if you don’t act this way, no one will like you
or even a factually incorrect “fact”…
one million kids got sick this year by eating horse poop on a dare!
People’s reasons—or motives—for trying to mislead you vary.
Maybe they want you to buy something
Maybe they want to influence your opinion
Maybe they want to change the way you will vote
Maybe they’re afraid you’ll be angry if you know the truth
Don’t believe everything you read
On the Internet, people feel even freer than ever to mislead other people. When you read or hear things, here are some questions you should ask yourself before believing it:
Is the person going to make money off of influencing you?
If yes, look for the opinion of someone who is unbiased
Does the person cite “facts” without saying where they got them?
Facts can be proven with data; if there is no data, there is no fact, just an idea
Does the person say they’re an expert….without any proof?
Experts have a history of working in a field and you should be able to see other people in the field refer to their work
Does the person use facts that actually have nothing to do with the idea they are supporting?
This is a common way to confuse people. For example, “we had a really cold winter so global warming isn’t real.”
Part of being a good digital citizen is checking out the stuff you read and hear online. Just because something sounds believable doesn’t make it true.
