Misinformation need not necessarily be intentional. Information can be distorted when it is transmitted- some things are missed out in error or misinterpreted. Sometimes due to space constrains, disinformation can happen when certain facts are left out and thus misjudged not unlike miscommunication when there are barriers involved.
The electronic environment contributes to misinformation in the way documents can be created quickly and easily and then reproduced or changed, and spread. This increases the possibility of errors. Once things are in electronic form and sent on, they are difficult to correct.
In one way I think people are more susceptible to manipulation by information as there are so many sources of information that reach us wherever we are. Mass broadcasting via popular media such as television, internet and newspapers means it is very hard to escape current information in some form. This is when information litercy is vital to evaluate sources and verify its authenticity. Wikipedia, for example is an online encyclopedia that allows anyone to write and edit entries. Regardless, it is still the 8th most visited webiste in the world, as measured by internet-monitoring service Alexa.com.
I cannot recall having been a 'serious' victim of misinformation. I have installed anti spam programmes to filter out dodgy emails. I have come across fraudulent emails especially regarding monetary matters about giving out account information and so forth. My years of life's experience and in working in the banks have heightened my aletness to such scams. Occasionally wrong reporting in the newspapers will also influence my opinion of a certain person or institution until it gets corrected. But I guess that's the power of information whether it is true or false.
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