The implications of misinformation

The unprecedented and facile access to information in the 21st century is responsible for producing an infodemic. Such an occurrence is most accurately attributed to the inherent cognitive biases present in all individuals that influence our thoughts and behaviors. Thus, modern advances in technology such as social media have amplified, and stimulated individuals' biases in a harmful way—the conception of search engines directs individuals towards websites that appeal to their conjectural suspicions. There are two types of cognitive biases that inherently plague our thought processes…