6. 精讲-真相：信息超载时代，我们该相信什么

6. 真相：信息超载时代，我们该相信什么

Information Overload Helps Fake News Spread, and Social Media Knows It

科学美国人/社会生活

We prefer information from people we trust, ourin-group. We pay attention to and are more likely to share information aboutrisks. We search for and remember things that fit well with what we alreadyknow and understand. These biases are products of our evolutionary past, andfor tens of thousands of years, they served us well.

Modern technologies are amplifying these biases inharmful ways, however. Search engines direct us to sites that inflame our suspicions,and social media connects us with like-minded people, feeding our fears. Makingmatters worse, bots enable misguided or malevolent actors to take advantage ofhis vulnerabilities.

Compounding the problem is the proliferation ofonline information. Viewing and producing blogs, videos, tweets and other unitsof information called memes has become so cheap and easy that the informationmarketplace is inundated. Unable to process all this material, we let ourcognitive biases decide what we should pay attention to. These mental shortcutsinfluence which information we search for, comprehend, remember and repeat to aharmful extent.

The glut of information has generated intensecompetition for people's attention. One of the first consequences of theso-called attention economy is the loss of high-quality information. Even whenwe want to see and share high-quality information, our inability to vieweverything in our news feeds inevitably leads us to share things that arepartly or completely untrue.

Cognitive biases greatly worsen the problem. Ourminds adjust our understanding of new information so that it fits in with whatwe already know. But experiments consistently show that even when peopleencounter balanced information containing views from differing perspectives,they tend to find supporting evidence for what they already believe.

Social media can also increase our negativity. Socialmedia amplifies homophily by allowing users to alter their social networkstructures through following, unfriending, and so on. The result is that peoplebecome segregated into large, dense and increasingly misinformed communitiescommonly described as echo chambers.

A number of tools have been produced to help peopleunderstand their own vulnerabilities, as well as the weaknesses of social mediaplatforms. These programmatic tools are important aids, but institutionalchanges are also necessary to curb the proliferation of fake news. Educationcan help, although it is unlikely to encompass all the topics on which peopleare misled. One of the best ideas may be to make it more difficult to createand share low-quality information. This could involve adding friction byforcing people to pay to share or receive information.

真相：信息超载时代，我们该相信什么

今日导读

面对汹涌而来的信息，我们已经被搞乱了阵脚？真相、谣言掺杂其中，在这样信息超载的时代，如何知道该相信什么？信息来源的复杂化、假新闻的层出不穷，在损害新闻消费者的同时，也让诸多媒体的公信力下降。毫无疑问，在如今这个信息爆炸的时代，我们每个人获取信息的渠道越来越多，获取信息的能力越来越强，获取的信息也越来越多。很多人不免以为：这意味着我们获取信息的种类越来越丰富，我们也越来越开放了。然而，越来越多的研究结果和事实证明，并非如此，相反，我们每个人变得越来越闭塞了。

带着问题听讲解

1. “超载”用英文怎么说？

2. “the glut of”是什么意思？

3.  为什么信息超载会使我们变得越来越闭塞？

内容精讲

Information Overload Helps Fake News Spread, andSocial Media Knows It

信息超载助长了假新闻的传播，社交媒体也知道这一点

overload /əʊvəˈləʊd/ n. 过载，超载

We prefer information frompeople we trust, our in-group. We pay attention to and are more likelyto share information about risks. We search for and remember things that fitwell with what we already know and understand. These biases areproducts of our evolutionary past, and for tens of thousands of years,they served us well.

我们更愿意接受来自我们信任的人的信息，也就是我们圈子里的人。我们会更关注，且更愿意分享带有风险的信息。我们会寻找并记住那些与我们已经知道和理解的东西相吻合的事情。这些偏见是我们过去进化的产物，在数万年的时间里，它们都很好地为我们服务。

in-group /ˈɪnɡruːp/ n. 小集团，小圈子

fitwell with与…相符，很适合…

bias /ˈbaɪəs/ n. 偏见

evolutionary /iːvəˈluːʃənərɪ/ adj. 进化的，发展的

Modern technologies are amplifying these biases in harmful ways, however. Search engines direct us to sitesthat inflame our suspicions, and social media connects us with like-minded people, feeding our fears. Making matters worse, bots enable misguided or malevolent actors to take advantage of his vulnerabilities.

然而，现代技术正以有害的方式放大这些偏见。搜索引擎会把我们带到那些激起我们怀疑的网站，而社交媒体会把我们与志趣相投的人联系起来，加深我们的恐惧。更糟糕的是，机器人（算法）让误入歧途或心怀不轨的演员得以利用它的弱点。

amplify/ˈæmplɪˌfaɪ/v. 扩大，放大

inflame /ɪnˈfleɪm/v. 使加剧，激起，激怒

suspicion /səˈspɪʃən/n. 怀疑

like-minded /laɪkˈmaɪndɪd/ adj. 志趣相投的，具有相似意向或目的的

feed /fiːd/v. 喂养，增进，为（某人）提供（信息、主意等）

bot /bɒt/n. 网上机器人，机器人程序

enable /ɪnˈeɪbəl/ v. 使能够，使成为可能

misguided/mɪsˈɡaɪdɪd/adj. 被误导的，误入歧途的

记忆法：mis(错，误)+guide(引导)

malevolent /məˈlevələnt/adj. 有恶意的，心怀不轨的

takeadvantage of 利用

vulnerability/vʌlnərəˈbɪləti/n. 弱点

Compounding the problem is the proliferation of online information. Viewing andproducing blogs, videos, tweets and other units of information called memes has become so cheap and easy that the information marketplace is inundated.Unable to process all this material, we let our cognitive biases decidewhat we should pay attention to. These mental shortcuts influence whichinformation we search for, comprehend, remember and repeat to a harmfulextent.

网络信息的扩散使问题变得复杂化。浏览和制作博客、视频、微博以及其他被称为表情包的单位变得如此便宜和容易，以至于信息市场都被淹没了。由于无法处理所有这些材料，我们会让自己的认知偏见决定我们应该关注什么。这些思维捷径会对我们寻找、理解、记忆和重复的信息产生有害的影响。

compound /ˈkɒmpaʊnd/ v. 加重，恶化，混合

proliferation /prəˌlɪfəˈreɪʃn/n. 扩散，增生

tweet /twiːt/n. 推特，小鸟叫声

meme /miːm/ n. 文化基因，表情包

marketplace /ˈmɑːkɪtˌpleɪs/ n. 市场

inundate /ˈɪnʌnˌdeɪt/v. 淹没

cognitive /ˈkɒɡnɪtɪv/ adj. 认知的

shortcut /ʃɔːtkʌt/ n. 捷径

comprehend/kɒmprɪˈhend/v. 理解

The glut of informationhas generated intense competition for people's attention. One of thefirst consequences of the so-called attention economy is the loss ofhigh-quality information. Even when we want to see and share high-qualityinformation, our inability to view everything in our news feeds inevitably leadsus to share things that are partly or completely untrue.

信息的过剩引发了争夺人们注意力的激烈竞争。所谓注意力经济的首要后果之一就是高质量信息的丢失。即使当我们想要看到和分享高质量的信息时，我们无法在新闻推送中看到一切，这不可避免地导致我们分享部分或完全不真实的信息。

glut /ɡlʌt/ n. 大量，供过于求

intense/ɪnˈtens/adj. 激烈的

inevitably /ɪnˈevɪtəbli/adv. 不可避免地，必然地

关联词：inevitable /ɪnˈevɪtəbl/ adj. 不可避免的

Cognitive biases greatly worsen the problem. Our minds adjust our understanding of new informationso that it fits in with what we already know. But experiments consistently showthat even when people encounter balanced information containing viewsfrom differing perspectives, they tend to find supporting evidence for what they already believe.

认知偏见使问题更加严重。我们的大脑会调整我们对新信息的理解，使之与我们已知的信息相一致。但实验一致表明，即使人们看到包含不同观点的平衡信息，他们也倾向于为自己已经相信的东西找到支持证据。

worsen /ˈwɜːsən/ v. 使恶化

adjust /əˈdʒʌst/ v. 调整

consistently /kənˈsɪstəntli/adv. 一贯地，一致地

encounter /ɪnˈkaʊntə/ v. 遇见，碰到

perspective /pəˈspektɪv/n.观点，看法

supporting /səˈpɔːtɪŋ/adj. 支持的，辅助的

Social media can also increaseour negativity. Social media amplifies homophily by allowingusers to alter their social network structures through following, unfriending,and so on. The result is that people become segregated into large, denseand increasingly misinformed communities commonly described as echochambers.

社交媒体也会增加我们的负面情绪。社交媒体允许用户通过关注、取消好友等方式改变他们的社交网络结构，从而放大了同质性。其结果是，人们被隔离在一个大的、密集的、信息越来越错误的群体中，通常被称为回音室。

negativity /neɡəˈtɪvəti/ n. 消极性，否定性

homophily/ˈhəuməfaili/n. 同质性

alter/ˈɔːltə/v.更改，改变

unfriend /ʌnˈfrend/ v. 解除好友关系

segregated/ˈseɡrɪɡeɪtɪd/adj. 隔离的

misinform /mɪsɪnˈfɔːm/v. 误传

echo /ˈekəʊ/n. 回音，效仿；v. 反射，重复

chamber /ˈtʃeɪmbə/n. 房间，室

A number of tools have beenproduced to help people understand their own vulnerabilities, as well as the weaknesses of social media platforms. These programmatic tools are important aids, but institutional changes are also necessary to curb the proliferation of fake news. Education can help, although it isunlikely to encompass all the topics on which people are misled.One of the best ideas may be to make it more difficult to create and sharelow-quality information. This could involve adding friction by forcingpeople to pay to share or receive information.

人们已经开发了许多工具来帮助人们了解自己的弱点，以及社交媒体平台的弱点。这些程序性工具是重要的辅助手段，但要遏制假新闻的扩散，制度变革也是必要的。教育是有帮助的，尽管它不可能包含人们被误导的所有话题。最好的办法之一可能是让低质量信息的创建和共享变得更加困难。这可能会迫使人们付费分享或接收信息，从而增加摩擦。

weakness /ˈwiːknɪs/ n. 弱点

platform/ˈplætfɔːm/n. 平台

programmatic /prəʊɡrəˈmætɪk/ adj. 程序化的，有计划的

aid /eɪd/ n. 援助，帮助

institutional /ɪnstɪˈtjuːʃənəl/adj. 制度上的

curb/kɜːb/v. 控制，抑制

fake /feɪk/ adj. 假的

encompass /ɪnˈkʌmpəs/v. 包含

mislead /mɪsˈliːd/v. 误导

friction /ˈfrɪkʃən/ n. 摩擦

长难句解析

1. Viewing and producing blogs,videos, tweets and other units of information called memes（主语） has become（系动词） so cheap and easy（形容词做表语） that the informationmarketplace is inundated.（形容词引起的从句）

浏览和制作博客、视频、微博以及其他被称为表情包的单位变得如此便宜和容易，以至于信息市场都被淹没了。

解析：这个句子是主语+系动词+形容词+从句（形容词引起的结构），本句的主语比较长为Viewing andproducing blogs, videos, tweets and other units of information called memes；has become作为系动词，此处是become的现在完成时态；cheap and easy是形容词做表语；后面that引起的从句是补充说明前面的形容词。

2. Even when we want to see andshare high-quality information（状语）,our inability to view everything in our news feedsinevitably（主语）leads（谓语） us（宾语） to share things （宾语） that（定语从句）are partly or completely untrue.

即使当我们想要看到和分享高质量的信息时，我们无法在新闻推送中看到一切，这不可避免地导致我们分享部分或完全不真实的信息。

解析：首先来看逗号前面的结构是一个状语从句，这种现象是状语从句前置，和主句间用一个逗号隔开；然后我们来看主句，主句的主语是ourinability to view everything in our news feeds inevitably，leads做谓语，后面跟着一个复合结构宾语，分别是us和 to share things；最后再来看that引导的从句是来修饰前面的名词things的，因此这是一个定语从句。

3. But（转折词） experiments（主语） consistently（状语） show（谓语） that（宾语从句） even when（状语从句） people（主语） encounter（谓语） balanced information（宾语） containing views from differingperspectives（定语）,they（主语） tend（谓语） to find supporting evidence（宾语） for what they already believe（定语）.

但实验一致表明，即使人们看到包含不同观点的平衡信息，他们也倾向于为自己已经相信的东西找到支持证据。

解析：首先来看but（转折词）后面的部分，experiments（主语） consistently（状语） show（谓语），后面跟着一个that引导的从句做宾语；再来看that引导的宾语从句，从句的主干部分是they（主语） tend（谓语） to find supporting evidence（介词短语做宾语） for what they already believe（介词短语做名词evidence的定语）；再来看宾语从句的状语部分， even副词修饰时间副词when，when引导了一个状语从句，people（主语） encounter（谓语） balanced information（宾语） containing views from differingperspectives（分词短语做定语）。

写作句总结

Makingmatters worse, bots enable misguided or malevolent actors totake advantage of his vulnerabilities.

更糟糕的是，机器人（算法）让误入歧途或心怀不轨的演员得以利用它的弱点。

表达：making matters worse

使事情更糟/使情况更困难或更危险/雪上加霜

仿写：Making matters worse,cash itself has become scarce.

雪上加霜的是，现金本身变少。

In this case, the priorityshould be not making matters worse.

此时，首要的应是不能恶化事态。

拓展知识

我们注意到打着“新闻”招牌的信息其实有许多本质的差异。可以将新闻分成四种类型：

确证式新闻。强调准确和语境的传统模式，也是理想的新闻形式。

断言式新闻。从CNN等24小时有线电视新闻频道开始，采取有闻必录的原则，强调即时性和显著性的新模式，新闻工作者只起到被动的速记和通道的作用。它的一个明显标志就是允许新闻制造者背诵事先准备好的观点却不加质疑。

肯定式新闻。通过肯定受众的信念而不是依靠准确、完整或核实来构筑忠诚度的新型政治媒体，为了实现这一目标而刻意拣选信息。肯定式新闻与之前的观点新闻（评论或专栏）不同，前者以追求中立为目标，而后者则以追求真相为目标。肯定式新闻的另一个标志是辩论文化让位于答案文化。肯定式新闻试图提供一个井然有序的世界，希望一举解决受众的困惑，为其提供安全感和便利性。

利益集团式新闻。包括针对特定目标受众的网站和新闻，经常从事调查报道。它们通常由特定利益集团而非媒体机构资助，内容包装得像新闻。它的明显特征有两个：一是没有做到彻底公开资金来源；二是报道的倾向性一致，或重复同一个结论。

这些划分尽管是根据美国新闻业的现状做出的，但是在中国也能依稀看到类似的新闻形态。比如，以新浪网为代表的门户新闻网站具有断言式新闻的特征，而《环球时报》则具有肯定式新闻的某些特点，微信、社交媒体等网站上的新闻则是上述四种新闻的混合物。