Misinformation vs. Disinformation

Misinformation

False or inaccurate information, especially that which is deliberately intended to deceive.

Disinformation

False information which is intended to mislead, especially propaganda issued by a government organization to a rival power or the media.

What's the difference?

The difference between disinformation and misinformation is that misinformation is false information that is not intended to deceive others while disinformation is false information that is intended to deceive others. Misinformation can be something like inaccurate statistics or satire that is taken as a fact. Disinformation can be something like hate speech, or leaked private information.

What are the problems that can cause?

These are both problems for social media users as both can create many rumors or conspiracies that aren't true. Some false information like disinformation can also be a sign of cyberbullying as misleading information was intended to be put in use. Things are spread quite easily on social media, as there are many false websites and videos about that information. so it is best if any type of misleading information is not used or spoken of, even if it's unintentional.

What causes these problems?

There is also artificial intelligence that is used to spread false information to others. People create these bots and program them to gather information sent from the carrier and spread it to others. For example, these bots can send audios and video recordings to people that carry false information to make them believe that it is true. People like cyberbullies or just people in general that want others to know the truth are types of people that spread false info to others. There is also fake news. Fake news can be used when the government, or pretty much anything doesn't want the people to know what is really going on. It can also be used to offend certain people, which is disinformation.

Should you be worried?

Usually, people fear this as it is very hard to tell if something is fake or not if you don't know the story behind it. For example, if there is false information about a fruit giving a certain disease, people would tend to believe it without researching if this were true or not. These actions can cause the spread of false information, which is misinformation. People can unintentionally spread wrong information as they don't know the truth behind it.