Hodson on how misinformation spreads

Misinformation expert and Canada Research Chair Dr. Jaigris Hodson explores how misinformation spreads – and how no one is immune – in a feature story in The Tyee.

Here’s an excerpt:

“We’ve all believed something that isn’t true at some point. We’ve all shared a wrong piece of information on social media,” says Jaigris Hodson, associate professor and Canada Research Chair in Digital Communication for the Public Interest at Royal Roads University.

“We’re all one strong emotion away from falling prey to some kind of misinformation.”

Hodson’s research focuses on how people interact with social media and the ways that misinformation can be reduced on online platforms like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. She’s seen an increase in conspiratorial sharing in Canada during COVID-19, paralleling that happening south of the border.

This story appeared in The Tyee.