Midweek Check-In: Combating Misinformation In The Digital Age
Lock up❗... Everybody is leveling up their lamba detector 😏🫡🫡
Howdy Dear Innovator 👋
Wasn’t it only yesterday that we wished you a happy new month on here? 🤔
Hmmm. The clock really do be doing double time these days….
(Na take-away joke. Give it a while. It’ll grow on you) 😅😅
What’s been cooking in your innovation pot?
What’s up your creative sleeves, Dear Innovator?
Annndd when will you share it with the rest of the world? 🥺🥺
Whennnnn??
***
Last week, we’d talked about the different funding options that you can explore as an innovator if bootstrapping and the likes are no longer cutting it for you 🤭🤭
Did you miss it?. Check it out here
You’re welcome! 💃🕺
***
Have you seen any videos on X recently and at the end, you’ll be asked to verify if the content of what you’ve just watched is real or fake?
How about YouTube videos and the emoji feedbacks? Have you been getting those lately too?
Yep. Same here.
And like you guessed, it’s a move to combat misinformation.
Tech and the digital era has been (and it still is) good for all its uses in the world, but it’s also fair to acknowledge its wahala. One of them being that lately, it’s hard to tell the difference between facts and fiction 😔
For the most part, facts are now being replaced by wrong information, and because of this, one too many people have had their lives ruined or their reputations temporarily dented. And there’s still no end in sight for when it’s going to stop…
… Or if at all it’s ever going to stop…. 🤦♀🤦♂
AI and deep fakes have now also further complicated this issue, making it very difficult to determine what’s real and what isn’t.
Research shows that false information travels faster than truth online and there’s a rise in presenting opinions as facts 😢 without disclaimers. Also, a lot of platforms are now more likely to prioritise engagement over accuracy, and this allows for the wide spread of claims that can not be fact-checked.
In this middle of all this, tech solution providers, like you, can help to curb this problem by verifying every information that’s associated with your various platforms, by either branding it as a proof of the validity of the source or sticking with a particular style of delivery 😊 (double points if it’s trademarked too)
There should be also an emphasis on promoting digital literacy. Altogether, the digital economy thrives on information, and it’s a bad investment decision to keep building solutions for a population that doesn’t even know which information to trust in the first place! 🤷🤷
By helping your product users learn how to weave their way in the digital world confidently, safely, effectively and responsibly, and an environment of trust is created, it’ll only be a matter of time before they’ll be able to identify legit businesses, and tell them apart from fake ones 🥰
Another one is going the extra mile to send your users reminders about your company’s policies and official disclaimers. It can work all sorts of magic for ‘em. Traditional banks have this particular one on lockdown, by constantly reminding their users to not share their login details and transaction pin 😇
Above all, nothing beats a culture of integrity, the responsible use of tech and security consciousness.
It’s a complex challenge, this misinformation brouhaha but it’s not an insurmountable one. It’ll simply require every hand on deck 🫡🫡
Tech Deets Around You…
A new investment firm, OpenseedVC, has launched a $10 million fund to support experienced founders who are starting tech companies in Africa and Europe and they are particularly interested in companies that are building in Ai, Fintech, Healthcare and a couple more.
This fund is set to offer up to $150,000 to help founders that have industry-specific expertise. They are doing this because based on their research, the lack of industry-specific expertise is the leading cause of failed startups/tech companies. So far, investment has already been made in two companies: one that uses AI to help businesses resolve disputes with suppliers and another that develops speech-to-text technology.
The Nigerian government is teaming up with Nokia to train young Nigerians on the latest technologies for mobile internet (4G and 5G). This move is to help boost digital literacy, and as the agreement stipulates, Nokia will establish an Entrepreneurship Learning Program to provide high-quality vocational training to 200 Nigerian students selected from across the country’s six geopolitical zones.
The goal is to reach 95% digital literacy by 2030, and this training program is a big step towards reaching that goal.
If you loved this, tap the❤️ at the end and share this your newsletter to your friends and family with the share button below.
Thank you Techies 😉🎉
Don’t forget to hit us up on X and IG. When tech is concerned, we’re always in the know.
See you back here on Saturdayyyyy 🥳🥳
Notable Reads for the week: