This is based on a Tweet that came across my stream.
It’s something I have been thinking about since digging into the aircraft tracking data.
People have been making up stuff about governments doing this or that with cargo aircraft as an example, and yet the data shows otherwise.
The hard thing is that once someone reads something like that, they believe it because its an aircraft, its real, its solid, its tangible. Its not something on the Internet.
Then I come along with tracking data that shows it wrong, and I cant change their mind.
Ok, that said, here is the guts of it….
Misinformation is just a mistake.
Me: Hey Peter, Alice likes cheesecake.
Alice: I hate cheesecake.
Me: My bad, I was misinformed, I thought you LOVED cheesecake.
Telling Peter that Alice loved cheesecake had no ulterior motive, there was no malice, it was just a “whoops”.
Disinformation is intentional misinfo; I know Alice hates cheesecake.
Me: Hey Peter, for her birthday, you should really get Alice a cheesecake, it’s her favorite
(Peter gets a cheesecake and ruins Alice’s birthday)
Me: Mission accomplished!
*Intentionally* feeding people misinfo = lying
Propaganda is not misinfo or disinfo; it could be, but it can be truth too. Think of it like an inconvenient truth. Finding dirt on a political opponent and publishing it right before the election is a form of propaganda. It’s not misinfo or disinfo, it’s strategic manipulation.
So wrapping that up:
Propaganda is the smart use of the words and facts at your disposal; it’s an art that’s practiced by everyone.
Disinformation is just lying, call it what it is.
Misinformation is a mistake, until you’re informed it’s disinformation, then you’re at fault if you don’t make it right
