What is misinformation? Misinformation is a recurring problem in daily high school life. It’s often the result of untrustworthy information spread by students’ mere beliefs or assumptions. But in certain cases, it could even be lies framed as the truth, with the intention of misleading a crowd.
This social dilemma that is often blind to the eye is that misinformation unfortunately tends to be common in everyday life. Misinformation hides in the rumors your peers whisper to you about and threads between the current buzz of the day. It weaves within the clickbait on your phone, and it may seem unimportant until it suddenly becomes something more profound.
The impact a few inaccurate words can have is an endless ripple effect. Teachers and school staff with great responsibility for students’ safety can fall quite deeply into the effects of this puzzle. School safety and enforcement specialist Marcus Washington states, “It does make the job harder because even though you’ve doused out that little wildfire, another one is always starting because of it.”
Phones play a big part in this matter by recording things like fights or helping spread flickering rumors rapidly. The default in today’s conversation is often gossip, but gossiping only ignites greater problems. In other words, it’s a threatening game of telephone. Controllable scenes can be painted with lies so severe that schools resort to lockdowns, only making things worse.
Last year when a situation with intense misinformation took place, high school student Allison Zayago shares, “I remember being scared to go to school the next day because I thought, ‘What if it happened again.’” This portrays the possible toll taken on students from issues made up of unreliable information. It can also be made worse if not handled correctly during or afterwards, by giving needed context and proper reassurance.
When students are left in the dark about information, well deserved, it can result in fear and constant overthinking or assumption. If people aren’t told what the real story is, their minds will form one themselves, which can again, be inaccurate.
Who would have thought that rumors you hear in the halls would have the power to take such a striking toll on someone’s day? From small rumors to bigger misinterpretations, it still has the same power to affect anyone. So next time you hear stories in school, think about what you’re hearing and what misinformation you may be sharing.