"The brain's power of logic and reasoning are dependent on receiving correct information. Thanks to the technology of the Internet and AI, misinformation is vastly increasing. Pulitzer Prize-winning political cartoonist Michael Ramirez recently depicted three scientists huddled together in a medical lab for The Washington Pos t. The first looks up from a microscope and ominously states, "It's the most dangerous pathogen we have come across." The second scientist, bug-eyed, inquires, "Bubonic plague? Smallpox?" The third provides the answer, "Misinformation and conspiracy theories.""
"Misinformation works to undo the brain's operation at all levels of functioning, from the molecular to the microscopic to the behavioral. A millisecond delay in the speed of nerve impulses from the legs of a jogger can lead to a loss of balance with the potential for a severe or even fatal fall; a disturbance in the smooth interplay of neurotransmitters secondary to the introduction of a chemical, such as a psychedelic, may result in psychosis."
Accurate information is essential for the brain's logic, reasoning, and perception. The Internet and AI have greatly increased the spread of misinformation. Misinformation acts like a toxic agent that disrupts brain function at molecular, microscopic, and behavioral levels. Small temporal disturbances in neural signaling can produce dangerous physical consequences, and chemical disruptions of neurotransmitter balance can trigger severe psychiatric states. Misinformation can alter beliefs and decision-making, such as causing voters to act on false premises. Misinformation can also distort basic perceptual trust, undermining the evolved linkage between seeing and believing.
Read at Psychology Today
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