False Information Literacy: A Three Step Process

Misinformation and disinformation are prominent dangers. Information literacy is a well known safeguard against misinformation: unfortunately, false information literacy spreads misinformation. Evaluative skills can be misused to justify belief in and spread misinformation. While false information literacy is an emergent topic, it is not a singular one, nor does it occur in a vacuum. Rather, it operates within social systems that shape how people interpret and share information and misinformation. This paper seeks to expand on the initial definition of false information literacy, showing that it is a three step process: exposure, justification and dissemination. This clarification and expansion serves as a necessary step to stopping the spread of misinformation.