By Peter Kenneth
Opening Hook
It started like any other afternoon. I was scrolling through my social media feed, half distracted, half entertained, when I stumbled upon a post claiming that a famous actor had been arrested for a shocking crime. The post was everywhere: in my feed, in my friends’ stories, even in my family’s WhatsApp group. Without thinking, I hit “share.”
Two days later, I found out it wasn’t true. Not even close. The actor was at a charity event halfway across the country at the time of the alleged incident. That was the day I realised how easily I could be part of the problem.
The Wake-Up Call
The embarrassment stung, but it was also a wake-up call. I realised that I wasn’t just a passive consumer of news, I was a participant in its spread. If I wanted to avoid making the same mistake, I needed to understand how and why fake news works.
That’s when I decided to attend the Fake News Busters Project training in Sweden, a European initiative helping young people, teachers and the community develop the skills to spot, stop, and speak out against misinformation. The project doesn’t just lecture you on “don’t believe everything you read.” It teaches you to understand your own brain, and the biases that make fake news so convincing.
Learning the Psychology of Misinformation
One of the most eye-opening lessons for me was discovering confirmation bias, the tendency to believe information that confirms what I already think. No wonder I’d been so quick to believe that story about the actor. It fits neatly into my pre-existing opinion of celebrities.
I also learned about:
- Negativity bias: Why alarming headlines get more clicks.
- Illusory truth effect: How repetition makes lies feel familiar and therefore believable.
- Bandwagon effect: Why seeing lots of likes and shares can make something feel “true” even when it’s not.
These weren’t just abstract ideas. The trainers showed us real examples from social media, and I could instantly see how these tactics had hooked me before.
Pull Quote Idea:
“The more I understood the tricks, the less power they had over me.”
Turning Awareness into Action
Knowing the problem wasn’t enough, I needed to change how I acted online. The Fake News Busters training gave me a simple 4-step verification process for any suspicious post:
- Pause before reacting or sharing.
- Check the source- is it credible?
- Cross-verify with reliable news outlets.
- Look for evidence– photos, videos, or official statements.
Now, instead of being a scroller, I’ve become a skeptic. And I don’t mean that in a negative way, I still enjoy social media, but I see it with clearer eyes.
Sharing What I Learned
The best part? The Fake News Busters Project encouraged me to share what I learned with others. I started small, posting fact-checks in my group chats, gently correcting friends when they posted something questionable. Now I even run short awareness sessions in my school’s media club.
It feels empowering to be part of the solution. We often think that fighting misinformation is the job of journalists or tech companies, but ordinary people have more influence than they realise. Every time I choose not to share something false, I’m breaking the chain.
Why This Matters More Than Ever
Fake news isn’t just about silly celebrity rumours. It can influence elections, cause panic during health crises, and deepen divisions in society. In a world where anyone can be a publisher, media literacy is as essential as reading and writing.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned on my journey from scroller to skeptic, it’s this: being informed isn’t enough, you have to be intentional. Every click, every share, every comment adds to the online ecosystem. The question is: are you making it better or worse?
Closing Call to Action
Next time you see a post that seems too outrageous, or too perfect, to be true, pause. Ask questions. Do your homework. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll catch yourself before becoming part of the problem.
Because in the battle against misinformation, we’re all on the frontlines.
Author: NHI – Nordic Horizon Institute