#Middlebury #Seniors
A recent study concluded that seniors over age 65 pass along fake and bogus Internet news items seven times more often than young adults (18-29) and twice as often as those slightly younger (45-65). Researchers theorized that seniors don’t have enough digital media literacy to figure out what’s true and what isn’t. They also wondered if age-related memory problems keep us from recognizing a hoax when we see it.
Specifically, this study was done during the last election by researchers at Princeton and NYU and was conducted on Facebook to see what links people passed along. They say it was done with user consent, but whether that’s true or not, we need to take a step back and re-examine our Internet habits.
Here is why:
- Media manipulators believe we can be targeted. If there’s a chance we’ll pass along fake news, political or not, they’ll be sure we see it.
- They believe we can be manipulated. If you shop for an item online and suddenly start seeing ads for it everywhere, you’re being tracked.
What you can do: If you use Google or Gmail, go into your settings and block everything you can. If you don’t know how, get help. Convince your senior center to hold classes on Internet safety. Use Mozilla Firefox as your Internet browser and install the uBlock ad blocker.
The big question: Are that many of us really sending out fake news links, when it’s the youngest generations that basically live on their phones and computers? Per a 2018 Pew study, we use social media at half the rate of the youngest age group.
My personal opinion, which has nothing to do with this study: Get off Facebook. Just leave it behind.
© 2019 King Features Synd. Inc.
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