It’s become a popular norm to form opinions from unconfirmed information within the media, especially targeting young people and naive minds.

It’s easy to be swept up in false claims built off of biased ideas, and the recent presidential election is the perfect example of it.

Donald Trump, the newly re-elected President of the United States of America, has weaved together a narrative that America’s economy is on the decline, however that’s not necessarily true.

While many Americans think that inflation is still getting worse, it’s really just the residual effects of the inflation surge from a few years ago. Many economists think the economy is in great shape. The idea that the economy is so terrible is simply a rumor that’s spread through the media and people’s beliefs.

Another largely believed assumption is that Trump plans to implement Project 2025, an extreme religious, conservative plan for reshaping America. However, Trump has claimed to have no affiliation.

“I have nothing to do with Project 2025… I haven’t read it. I don’t want to read it purposely. I’m not going to read it,” said Trump in the ABC News Presidential Debate.

Despite his denial of involvement, many people still believe that it is Trump’s plan for the future, and it was a big part of people’s reasoning against him.

Also, the baseless rumor that Haitian immigrants were eating pets was used by Trump as a tactic of fear. This rumor was taken by the media and exploited despite it having no evidence behind it.

It recently came out that Russia was paying unknowing social media influencers to spread propaganda. The Department Of Justice even got involved and proved that the news stories were fake. However, that fake information, if believed, could drastically affect people’s thoughts and loyalties.

The media has an astronomical influence on young people who are quick to believe baseless claims on the internet. This is a very dangerous way to get information.

We need to be more aware of the information we are consuming and whether or not it’s credible. As we gain the right to vote, the education we allow ourselves can largely dictate the direction of big decisions like elections. We shouldn’t go off of propaganda and misinformation when forming our opinions about politics and social issues. All of us should make an effort to be truthfully informed in order to be successful in decisions that will substantially affect us.