We live in an era that is both a blessing and a curse. Information is as close as the click of the mouse and the speed of your DSL connection. Analyzing and vetting books and authors was easier when their latest tome came out in hardback and new books were published once a year. With the internet, though, there is just too much out there to make it possible to vet. Just consider these statistics released on January 1, 2024.
- There are more than 600 million blogs on the internet. Source: Hosting Tribunal
- Over 2 million blog posts are published on a daily basis. Source: Hosting Tribunal. Do the math on this one. Think of each blogger as an author. That means 730 million new “booklets” are produced every year.
- There are 31.7 million bloggers in the US alone. Source: Statista
- 77 % of internet users read blogs. Source: LinkedIn
- Internet users leave around 77 million comments per month on blog posts. Source: WordPress.1 Others read those comments, often believing what has been written even though they know nothing about the author.
All of this information has caused new words or phrases to enter our vocabulary and they might be confusing. What’s the difference between misinformation, disinformation, and TMI – too much information? It all boils down to intent. Though we don’t have the modern words in Scripture, the basis of those words is seen clearly in Scripture.
Misinformation is spreading information that is not factual. The person sharing the information believes that what they are saying is true and they are not intentionally trying to mislead anyone. This was the case with Apollos. Acts 18:24-26 says, “And a
certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. (25) This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. (26) And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.” He needed correct information to fix his misinformation or incomplete information.
Disinformation is the intentional spreading of falsehoods. This is seen in 2 Peter 2:1-3. “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. (2) And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. (3) And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.” The deception was intentional with the nefarious intent to “fleece the sheep.”
TMI – too much information – is best demonstrated by those on social media. They don’t seem to have any filter and will share things that ought to remain private. Discretion and discernment, two virtues exemplified in Scripture, are missing in these individuals. Proverbs 2:10-12 says, “When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; (11) Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee: (12) To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things…”
When wisdom enters our heart, good information will exit our mouths. We will write things that would be pleasing to the Lord.
Make sure the information you share today has been thoroughly vetted and carefully filtered through the Word of God.
1https://bloggingwizard.com/blogging-statistics/
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