How do you tell if the information you’re reading or seeing is real or fake when it all looks believable?
This is what misinformation expert Timothy Caulfield will talk about at the Kay Meek Arts Centre next month alongside his forthcoming book, The Certainty Illusion: What You Don’t Know and Why It Matters.
“I really think it has become one of the greatest challenges of our time,” Caulfield said.
The event will be co-hosted with Stephanie Hall, director of the West Vancouver Memorial Library. They will both explore how to counteract misinformation and how to live in a time when the truth can be hard to detect. The talk will be followed by a Q&A and book signing.
Caulfield is a Canadian law professor at the University of Alberta and has been researching misinformation for decades, but has seen concerns grow over recent years.
“Misinformation has been around for a long time, but I think it’s not an exaggeration to say it’s never been as bad as it is right now,” he said. “We’ve never seen the volume of it that we’re seeing right now, and I don’t think we’ve seen the harsh, really dramatic impacts that we’re seeing right now.”
Nearly half of Canadians (43 per cent) say they felt it was harder than three years ago to decipher between true or false online reports last year. A poll by Abacus Data found 84 per cent of Canadians who responded were at least somewhat concerned about the spread of misinformation and disinformation.
But it’s not hopeless, as there are strategies to help try and detect dis- and misinformation, Caulfield said.
“Even little things like pausing and being patient and trying to embrace accuracy, those are simple steps that can make a difference,” he said.
Caulfield will talk about what people do on their own to tackle misinformation, and on a broader level as a community, he said.
Guests will also learn how social media influencers, ChatGPT and artificial intelligence (AI) can spread disinformation and twist reality.
“Even though I was studying this area, I had no idea it would get as bad as it is today, it’s just become a crisis,” Caulfield said.
In Caulfield’s book, he looks at a wide range of topics such as how science is done, internet ratings on restaurants, and even how pet food is represented.
All proceeds collected will support the library’s programs such as their summer reading club, brain health collection, recording studio and more.
The event will take place on Nov. 6 from 7:30 to 9 p.m. For more information visit the Kay Meek website.
Abby Luciano is the Indigenous and civic affairs reporter for the North Shore News. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative. [email protected]
