Our nation has a major misinformation problem that has grown out of control. Rumors and conspiracy theories have always been a problem, but now it is a daily problem with people distrusting the press and each other. We are in an age where false knowledge is mixed with real information, making it difficult to tell the difference. Every day our society is becoming more and more divided as people are tricked and deceived by false facts.

A major pipeline for this flood of misinformation is social media. With social media, people can share and spread data faster than ever before. Before social media became so widely used, it would take time for a rumor to gain the steam needed to be widespread, but now, with a single click, a rumor can overtake a nation in less than a day.

The news changes faster and faster with events becoming old news hours after they are reported on. Add to that the amount of false information that our society is bombarded with on a daily basis, and it all becomes overwhelming. Most people are able to tell the difference between fact and fiction, but sometimes people allow themselves to believe false information.

Another issue we face is how people hold onto misinformation as if it is real facts. Our nation has been divided before, but now neighbor is divided against neighbor, friend against friend as it seems no one can trust one another anymore. The amount of distrust that now exists is absurd. Yes, friends and family have always had their differences, but in the end, they are friends and family. It’s as if those bonds don’t mean anything anymore as our differences destroy our bonds with each other.

Now this misinformation sweeping our nation is bad, but it has been made worse by its infection of our news outlets. No matter the news outlet, new or old, they may report on a false topic without knowing it.

Yes, this is bad, but it used to only happen rarely, and when it was discovered that the topic was false, well then the news outlet grews better and stronger. Sadly nowadays this is no longer the case. It is an almost weekly occurrence for formerly trustworthy news sources to report on false data. 

The misinformation amalgamation has taken a strong hold on our nation. Its reach stretches to social media and even to our neighborhoods. My fellow Americans, I give you a call to action. A call to stand up against this horrible amalgamation. I ask you to double-check your data before sharing it with another. Do your part in stopping the flood of misinformation. If we all work together, we can get this issue under control. A fact check a day keeps the misinformation away.