When evaluating the dissemination of information on social media and on the web in general, there is a lot of questionable advice out there.

From coffee enemas to being intentionally mean to your significant other in order to reinforce that you are an alpha male or female, the advice out there leaves something left to be desired. Single mothers are terrible. Men are all cheaters. This group is like this (generalization). Women are like this, and men are like this and so on. Although concerning, the more troubling issue is that there are people out there who do not question and fact check information before applying it to their lives. This implies that some people either do not know how to evaluate information or just want to be told something they feel is true even if the facts do not support it.

When listening to some of the popular podcasts, many vloggers claim to be experts on every imaginable topic (some are). Some of these vloggers can demonstrate that they are knowledgeable about a topic by demonstrating their skill while recording their video. Others just use marketing techniques such as bandwagon in order to attempt to persuade you that everyone is doing something or acting in a particular way. For instance, relationships are generally considered to be built on trust yet messaging projects the notion that people should lie for the better of the relationship. It is okay to keep a secret bank account even if it means you are not contributing to the bills. To some, this is acceptable under certain circumstances, but really this type of advice is just divisive and cashes in on stereotypes and generalizations about groups based on gender, status, or background in order to reinforce coincidences and monetize frustration and angst for profit.

Next time you here some news from an expert instead of just taking it at face value, do your due diligence and confirm and verify what you are hearing as being factual or relevant. As part of this process, ask some very important questions to ensure that you are seeing the bigger picture prior to implementing strategies that not only may not work, but make you a jerk or worse in the process.

What is the source of the information?

What context is the information being used?

Is the speaker cherry picking information in order to further an agenda?

Does the speaker have an agenda?

What is the purpose of the article or the video?

Is the site trustworthy?