10 Things I've Learned about navigating information overload

 This is what I have learned over many years in the age of information overload. I never would have believed that we'd be here where the conspiracies of QAnon are being increasingly accepted by usually reasonable people...

1. Check sources of every article you see come through your feed, know their slant...(for instance, The Atlantic has a center-left bias but high factual reporting. Knowing this, I know to look for corroborating information from sources with little bias - such as newswires, or even a center-right commentary for a different perspective).

2. Avoid questionable sources and extremely biased sources (even if the lean is in your preferred direction) - those don't want you to think critically or think for yourself and usually don't provide sourcing - or if they do, it's other questionable sources and hearsay. These outlets count on human laziness and human tendency toward confirmation bias.

3. If you see a Twitter thread that sounds like the person is knowledgable, look them up to make sure they are who they say they are - or that the thread really is from them (faking a Tweet is easy to do. I've often double checked retweets from Trump because, well, they tend to be a bit nutty!) a practicing physician, for instance, you should be able to find a listing for at their institute of employment.

4. MEMES ARE NOT RELIABLE SOURCES OF INFORMATION - there are numerous memes purporting to contain information from a reputable source - like Johns Hopkins but if you go to the JH website, you will not find it there.

5. Be willing to change your mind with new information.

6. Ask questions.

7. DO think for yourself but be able to support your position with something other than 'he said she said' and 'I saw this Youtube video'.

8. It's OK to not know about a subject enough to make a definitive opinion on it. If it sounds crazy for goodness sakes, don't take it at face value and seek corroboration.

9. It's OK to ask someone 'where did you read/hear that?'...Many times I have found that the source they provide is a very biased publication or news outlet and the information can be easily fact-checked.

10. I'm telling myself this: take a deep breath and a pause before responding to people you disagree with online

Bonus opinion: It's OK to call out trolls and snark at them - reflect back to them what they sound like. It's fun to watch them get mad because they can dish stuff out but can't take it. Do this in moderation though because it can be stressful if you're generally a peaceful person.