The impact of misinformation on my life and how I fight it

The following essay is the winner of a contest conceived by Dobbs Ferry High School senior Liliane Williams-Ameen and conducted by the Rivertowns Dispatch. Rivertowns residents between ages 13-18 were invited to submit essays about how misinformation affects their lives, and how they can combat misinformation.

By Dominick Stern

In today’s world, misinformation feels like background noise: constant, unavoidable, and sometimes hard to discern. Every time I look through social media, news headlines, or even overhear conversations, I realize how easily fake news can slip into everyday life. It affects not only what people believe, but also how they act, vote, and treat each other. Personally, exposure to misinformation has made it harder to know who or what to trust in this modern technological age. As a student at Dobbs Ferry High School, I’ve seen misinformation spread quickly on TikTok and other social media platforms used by my peers. In one instance an Instagram story was posted by a student with a fake weapon in the background. People who viewed the post were frightened. They shared the story with their friends, claiming it was real. Those people then spread the message to others, the story becoming more and more warped as it was shared. Then, the authorities got involved and the student was reprimanded for the action, which was originally meant with no ill intent. False stories and rumors can spark fear, anger, or division over things that aren’t even true. I’ve seen friends argue over made-up claims they read online, believing them just because they came from a familiar source. This eradicates trust, not just in information but in relationships, too.