I was reading a story today about how people are taking advice on serious medical issues from the web instead of doctors, specifically in oncology.

The foundations of my philosophy of Ubiquitous Relativity, explained in the upcoming eponymous book, rest on pausing on judgment in order to connect with others. This pause on judgment can make the difference between making a new connection or losing one. We are taught in a world of Ubiquitous Relativity to ask questions like “Why do you think that way?” and “How come you believe that?” instead of simply dismissing opposing viewpoints.

The same need for a pause on judgment can insulate us from “Fake News.” Fake News, in the parlance of our times, comes in all shapes and sizes. It originates from every part of the political spectrum. It exists on every known avenue of content delivery. It permeates every part of our social fabric. With questions like “Why am I seeing this content?” and “What is the motivation of the person making this content?” we can begin to protect ourselves.

It is more difficult now than ever in our history as a country to determine whether the things we sense are real or unreal. The things we see and hear can be manipulated with such ease that even the most discerning person can be fooled into believing false narratives.

There is a perception that most of these fake news stories are related to politics. That is because most of the pundits and airtime is spent analyzing the impacts on our political system and discourse. If that were the case, it could be somewhat contained. But as the article referenced above describes, this fake news can have a much more profound impact on peoples’ lives.

Health and Wellness are at the top of most lists as far as priorities in life. Since the dawn of humans, there have been all kinds of people promising cures and potions to protect against disease. Most have been legitimate efforts, given the technology of the time, to save our fellow humans. But, there have been no shortage of “snake-oil salesmen” over the years as well, peddling all kinds of nonsense and phony stories to profit from people in need of medical attention.

When we see old movies of these charlatans and their methods, we laugh and think: “How can anyone be so stupid to fall for that?” Yet, here we are today falling for similar kinds of tricks. And what makes matters worse is that today our information is delivered with speed and artistry without any context whatsoever. I may have been able to tell that the snake oil guy was a fraud from our conversation and asking a few questions. But there is no live charlatan now. It is a computer algorithm designed to remove our context and face to face communications that have been critical to our entire existence.

Clearly science has some pretty strongly held consensus views. One that is getting a lot of press today is the debate over vaccinations. Anecdotally it seems like I am hearing more and more about outbreaks of measles because parents do not want to vaccinate their children. The vast majority of medical professionals thinks vaccines are both necessary and safe. Yet, there is a small but loud portion of society peddling misinformation that these vaccines can cause all kinds of medical ailments and are unsafe. Why can this minority be so effective at getting their message out and convincing many others of the validity of their claims? Simply put, we have lived most of our lives to believe the news. And for many years, the news by in large was to be believed. But now, it is easy to make anything look like “news.”

If I see some random article about the dangers of vaccinations that looks like a legitimate publication, my instinct may be to believe it. I mean, with every ache or pain I experience, I am quick to go on the internet and see what others are saying without any regard for their qualifications. I read about the side-effects of medications and will learn about the one case that caused a death and conclude that will be the case for me as well. I may read about a child who got the measles vaccination and developed autism in a story and believe that there is a causal relationship because the author tells me so.

As I stated earlier, this is not because people are stupid or gullible. It is because the people who create these stories have tools at their exposure that are so advanced that the human mind has not caught up to the technology.

So what can we do?

I have a “post-it” attached to my computer that says: “What is the motivation of the author?” If I stop during or after reading, seeing or hearing something for a few seconds and ask that question, I typically can list some pretty interesting answers that make me question the truth of the content. This is not to say everything I read is a lie, but it is to say that there is an angle on most news. Some angles are more malign then others, but I can take a breath and think about who the author is and why they are making the claims they are making. Is the author trying to sell me something? Is the author trying to get me emotional? Is the author a real person?

Fake News does not have to dictate the course of our lives, but it will, in the most serious of ways, if we let it. We do a great service to ourselves and others when we ask simple questions of the things that we see and hear throughout the day. A split second pause on judgment can be the difference between making the right or wrong decision on a political candidate or a cure for cancer.