You would think that the heavy voter segment of senior citizens would be the wisest of voters. That may not be true. Reliance on Facebook and lack of media savvy is tricking some of them with fake news.
A recent Princeton University and NY University study shows that older folks (65+) were most likely to use fake news outlets and to then pass on fake news. The super-spreaders of fake news were found more often, not among the younger who have become more savvy in what they read, but among older adults! See the report on NYT 9.11.20. “Getting Wise to Fake News”. https://nyti.ms/33eeUcC
But as with this website, there are resources if you or a loved one is getting off track. One of the latest is MediaWise for Seniors, a project of the Poynter Institute, which offers free online courses to help seniors become aware of and combat online misinformation.
Looks like as of today, the seminars are oversubscribed and closed but read some of my materials on this website while you wait for them to open up. Their site is https://www.poynter.org/mediawise-for-seniors/
The Poynter organization’s MediaWise online (information) literacy program, started in 2018 with Google funding, initially focused on
teens and young adults. Now with studies
showing older adults need it, they have included new seminars. See the story on Poynter’s website.
