2021 Project: Misinformation: A Social Media Epidemic
Class: Montour High School CHS Cybersecurity and the Law class led by Michael Waldron
How does misinformation spread? Why is misinformation so important? How do I avoid misinformation?
In a short video, we are going to teach you about the dangers associated with misinformation, how common and widespread misinformation is, reasons behind misinformation, how the public contributes to misinformation, and reliable resources you can use to fact check current events or news and to avoid misinformation.
Student Bios
Rachel: “My name is Rachel DeFeo and I am a senior at Montour High School. This fall, I plan to attend Penn State University to major in cybersecurity. I have always loved math, technology, and problem-solving, which all led me to choosing my major. I have been involved in numerous clubs throughout high school, inducted in National Honors Society, and played for the high school soccer team. Misinformation is a huge problem in our society today, which was the inspiration for our group project. ”
Blake: “I’m Blake O’Malley and I’m a junior at Montour High School. As of right now, I plan to attend college and major in mathematics. I’m an NHS member and am a part of various school clubs like Cure Finders and the Acts of Random Kindness club. I chose to research and learn more about misinformation because I think it’s an issue that is more widespread and problematic than people realize, especially on social media. I see multiple examples of misinformation every single day, so I thought it would be a good topic to choose in this day and age”
Thor: “I am Thorian Bowman and am currently a senior at Montour High School. In the near future I am planning on attending La Roche University for a major in Criminal Justice and a minor in Computer Security. I play for the boys volleyball team and have been a part of our Acts of Random Kindness club(ARK). I have always had a passion for computers and criminology so this project allowed me to see big portions of each side. Certain forms of misinformation can be so severe that legal action might need to be taken. This project allowed me and my fellow group members to do research on where misinformation comes from and actions you can take to stop it or hinder the spread of misinformation. Misinformation is a common evil in today’s society and needs to be limited.”
Aidan: “My name is Aidan Ferry and I am currently a Junior at Montour High school. In the future I want to attend Pittsburgh University where I would study for a degree in Criminal Justice. As of this I am not in any of the clubs at Montour. I chose the topic for misinformation because I think this problem is widespread and is super common in today’s society. Misinformation can be really bad for the community and children online because many people who use the internet today don’t understand how to cope with this and find the factual information this was derived from.”
Dylan: “My name is Dylan Broda and I am currently a Junior at Montour High School. In the future I plan going into computer science not sure exactly what field and also do real estate and own rental properties. At Montour I am in the Student Council, Pet Pals, Chess Club, ARK and Graphics Clubs. The reason we came to the decision to do misinformation is because it is a big problem on social media and can be fixed if you take the proper actions.”