Online Misinformation

Clickbait headlines and curiosity gaps The role of outrage and strong emotion Algorithms that reward engagement, not truth Memes and short-form content as persuasion

Seeing patterns where none exist Distrust of institutions and experts Unfalsifiable claims and moving goalposts Belonging, identity, and conspiracy communities

What bots and troll farms actually do How to spot inauthentic or coordinated behavior Goals of manipulation campaigns online Practical ways to respond without feeding trolls

Lateral reading and leaving the page to verify Reverse image search and basic forensic checks Using fact-checking organizations wisely Personal rules before resharing information