Consumption

"The signal is the truth. The noise is what distracts us from the truth."

~ Nate Silver

Even the best content and strongest distribution networks won’t succeed if people lack the ability, or the confidence, to make sense of what they’re seeing. We live in a constant stream of headlines, posts, alerts, and videos, all competing for attention. In this noisy environment, people often skim, react emotionally, or rely on mental shortcuts to process information. Without the tools to slow down and assess what’s credible, disinformation thrives. And while fact-checkers work hard to correct false claims, the pace and scale of content creation far outstrip their capacity. Researchers at Princeton University also found that while fact-checks could help reduce misperceptions, the effect can be ephemeral and subject to ideological differences. 

That’s why improving how we consume information is essential to any strategy that addresses misinformation and disinformation. People don’t just need access—they need skills and practice to navigate a dynamic and often manipulative information environment. This includes understanding not just the accuracy of information, but also how emotion, identity, and confirmation bias shape what we believe and share.

Etel Calles, Community Outreach Coordinator at El Tímpano (a past Battery Powered grantee), leads a disinformation defense workshop. Credit: Hiram Alejandro Durán for El Tímpano/Catchlight/Report for America corps member

Building these habits starts with embedding media literacy and critical thinking into schools, libraries, and public programming across all age groups. It also requires supporting practitioner organizations that teach practical techniques that help individuals slow down, question assumptions, and resist manipulation. These tools include:

• Lateral reading – the process of leaving an original source to check its background information elsewhere
• Source triangulation – verifying information by comparing it across multiple credible sources
• Bias recognition – identifying and understanding one’s own biases as well as those embedded in content
• Perspective-taking – considering multiple viewpoints to develop a more informed understanding 

Media literacy programs, especially when tailored to specific communities, can build resilience across generations. Young girls, in particular, are vulnerable to gendered disinformation—targeted content that spreads false or harmful narratives about identity, appearance, or roles in society. This can erode confidence, distort self-perception, and influence how girls engage with civic or educational opportunities.

Many people who spread false content do so unintentionally—not out of malice, but because of limited time, training, or trust. A 2024 UNESCO survey of 500 influencers across 45 countries found that 62 percent do not carry out rigorous fact-checking prior to posting, yet 73 percent expressed a desire to be trained in verification skills.

Unfortunately, even well-meaning misinformation can result in unintended consequences. However, research also shows that when people are given the space to pause and reflect, they are often effective at telling truth from falsehood and less likely to share misinformation. Crowdsourcing fact-checking, when thoughtfully designed, can also help surface misleading content and correct the record, though it must avoid the pitfalls of mob mentality. 

It’s also important to acknowledge that access to media literacy is not evenly distributed. Low-income communities, older adults, and non-native English speakers often face barriers to these programs and tools. Efforts to improve information consumption must account for these inequities and prioritize inclusive, accessible approaches.

How Philanthropy Can Help

Philanthropy can help bridge these gaps by funding short-term, high-impact initiatives—such as toolkits, public workshops, or school-based pilots—that strengthen people's ability to navigate today’s complex information environment and can serve as models for broader adoption by institutions, public agencies, or educational systems. The goal is not to replace ongoing public investment, but to spark and accelerate solutions that others may be hesitant or unable to fund.

Artistic and cultural experiences offer another powerful response that philanthropy can support. Increasingly, we consume information alone: one person scrolling a smartphone or tablet, often within a self-reinforcing algorithmic bubble. In contrast, opportunities for communal consumption—through film, performance, exhibitions, or storytelling—create shared spaces where people encounter the same content but may interpret it in very different ways.

This not only fosters a more informed and empathetic public, attuned to multiple perspectives, but also strengthens the social bonds and civic habits that counter isolation, distrust, and polarization. In an era defined by fragmentation, collective experiences can help rebuild a sense of connection, meaning, and shared reality.

Restoring Signal In the Noise

In an age of constant noise, the line between truth and manipulation has never been blurrier, and our ability to make sense of it all is under strain. Yet this crisis is not without opportunity. If the problem is systemic, so too must be the solution. We must reimagine the entire information ecosystem, from how information is produced and distributed to how it is consumed and trusted. Philanthropy has a vital role to play: not just by reacting to disinformation, but by proactively supporting the conditions that enable truth to surface, resonate, and endure.

"In a world deluged by irrelevant information, clarity is power." 

~ Yuval Noah Harari

By investing in trusted messengers, culturally rooted storytelling, local journalism, and critical thinking skills, we can help communities navigate complexity without succumbing to cynicism or fear. By supporting the artists, technologists, researchers, educators, and the broader ecosystem of arts and culture working to illuminate the truth, we can create space for shared understanding and civic resilience.

The road ahead is uncertain—but it is not without direction. With courage, creativity, and collaboration, we can help tip the balance toward a healthier information environment—one that affirms dignity, strengthens democracy, and empowers people to make decisions grounded in fact, not fear.