Dear friends, I just wanted to remind you again to please be very careful about propagating fake news and misinformation, on Facebook, and elsewhere on the Internet.
Pranksters and manipulators just love to use social networks as tools to spread fake news, false information and Internet rumors, because such networks are populated with millions of people, many of whom tend to be rather naive and gullible.
Rather than taking the time to verify whether or not a piece of information is true, upon receiving such alarming fake news or false information, such people immediately post it on their timeline or their Facebook page, or they tweet it, or they post it on their personal blog, or else they forward it to a lot of their friends via a private text message. Thus, the false information continues to spread, sometimes for many years. Once it is out there, my friends, it is out there, like a virus in the wild, and it is next to impossible to stop. What if the information turns out to be false and you were responsible for passing it along? How would you feel?
As Bible-believing Christians, it is particularly important that we guard and protect our online reputations. Let’s face it; there are already enough people opposed to us and our faith. We don’t want to inadvertently give them free ammunition and another reason to attack us, by becoming conduits for fake news or false information. So again, please check the information before you begin spreading it around on Facebook, or elsewhere on the Internet.
One thing about such false information, is that often it seems very believable, and perhaps even probable. That is precisely how these pranksters and manipulators catch you in their ever-growing web of deception. However, there are a few telltale signs you can look for, which will alert you to the fact that the information is false.
For example, one odd thing is that oft times, the false information will not include any specific names, places or dates. I suspect that the pranksters do this in order to protect themselves from accusations of libel. The misinformation may also not include any contact information for the individual or entity who is providing the information. Finally, the fake news or false information will be far from perfect English. There may be errors in grammar, spelling or punctuation, suggesting that the prankster is a non-English-speaking foreigner.
One website which may be reliable for exposing fake news and false information is www.snopes.com. Please note, however, that some people don’t even trust snopes.com. If you receive a piece of questionable information from a friend in any form, simply copy and paste the title or opening line of the information in your web browser’s search field. More than likely, if it is fake news or false information, one of the first entries on the SERP — Search Engine Results Page — will be from snopes.com. Simply follow that link, in order to learn the truth regarding the information you have received. Whether or not you believe what snopes.com says is entirely up to you.
But again, the main point I wish to convey here is that we should not be too quick to post something on the social networks that we participate in, just because it sounds juicy, and may possibly increase our likes, comments, shares, page views, or whatever. Act in a responsible manner, and thoroughly check out the information first. You may save yourself some embarrassment later, should the information turn out to be false.
I hope the above information is useful to you. Following are a few things you may enjoy reading:
Article: “Speak the Pure Language of Truth”:
https://www.billkochman.com/Articles/purelng1.html
“Be Slow to Speak” KJV Bible Verse List:
https://www.billkochman.com/VerseLists/verse129.html
“Speak the Truth” KJV Bible Verse List:
https://www.billkochman.com/VerseLists/verse561.html
“Spirit of Truth” KJV Bible Verse List: