On the Futility of Fact-Checking
Labeling truth in the age of AI content generation
Recently, one of our fabulous photo collections from Antarctica was the subject of a Reuters fact check, after the photos from the post blew up on Facebook, and people were left wondering, is there really a lost civilization in Antarctica? (The answer may surprise you! Read more at the link below.)
It turns out that many people simply want to believe that there is such a civilization (including ourselves), so much so that when presented with a few small pieces of “evidence,” they are quick to accept it as confirmation of their emotional state and compatible pre-existing beliefs.
While we admire the work fact-checkers do in an increasingly chaotic information space, we wonder if — for some audiences — it isn’t a futile exercise that can even yield fruits contrary to those intended?
Cover-up
Especially when those audiences are conspiracy minded, and have pre-existing beliefs about the existence of massive cover-ups, etc. A seemingly…
