While history tells us that encounters with and circulation of misinformation in our communities are not new, the risks associated with such encounters exponentially increase when that misinformation circulates online. This issue has seen a wealth of interest in recent years across the disciplines and navigating through all the coverage can be challenging. Even when we recognize misinformation for what it is, its messages can still problematically influence our perspectives about personal and public health, in addition to many other important issues. What, from our own experiences, research, and backgrounds can we as educators bring to help students navigate information in more informed, empowered ways? How can we challenge students to recognize when information and information sharing is not only inappropriate but potentially harmful? How can we reinforce the message that as consumers of online content, we are all also producers of it, and therefore each responsible for what is generated and shared? 

In this presentation, I investigate some of the reasons we are susceptible to the risks of misinformation and explore ways addressed in the literature of mitigating them through a focus on pedagogical strategies that highlight the importance of understanding 1) our self-awareness when using online sources of information, as well as 2) our sense of the various external factors shaping our online experience. I propose that it is through our mindfulness of the interplay between our personal perspectives and the contextual factors influencing our online experiences that we become savvier, more intentional users of the information we find. This idea is informed by the results of a study that looked at Canadian Communications students’ ability to differentiate between real and “fake” news. A review of qualitative and quantitative study data suggests students seem to be aware of risks of misinformation inherent in online sources of news and general information, but they don’t articulate clear strategies for how to manage them and may overestimate their abilities to distinguish the real from the fake.