The internet is absolutely saturated with content these days—memes for every mood, videos for every interest, and, more and more, political posts that look like news but often aren’t. As Election Day creeps closer, social media has become a breeding ground for political information, and unfortunately, a whole lot of it is either exaggerated, taken out of context, or completely fabricated. It used to be that people would get their politics from newspapers, evening news, or conversations around the dinner table. Now, many of us are getting our information from the same place we get our entertainment: our phones. Cydney Adams, the director of product at Caliber, a multi-platform media and social agency holding company, sees this shift daily. She says misinformation has always been a problem around elections, but it’s becoming more prevalent because so many people now turn to creators—influencers, podcasters, and social media personalities—for their political knowledge. These creators can be entertaining and relatable, but they aren’t always accurate. And because we trust the people we follow, we often accept what they say without questioning it. That’s exactly how misinformation slips in. It’s not that every post is malicious, but the speed at which false or misleading content can spread online is astonishing. A single tweet or TikTok can go viral in hours, and once it’s out there, it’s nearly impossible to pull it back. That’s why it’s so important to slow down, think critically, and understand that, as Marcy Thornhill, an NBC12 social media safety expert, puts it, the internet is full of it—literally.
The numbers behind this trend are staggering. New research from SaySo and YouGov found that nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults now get information about the midterms from online creators. That’s a massive change in how we consume news, and it’s especially noticeable among younger generations. According to the research, there’s been a 77% increase among Gen Z adults who rely on creators for midterm information. That makes perfect sense when you think about it: for many young people, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube are the first places they turn to for just about anything, including politics. They’re following creators who talk about current events, explain ballot measures, or share hot takes on candidates. In many ways, that’s a positive development—it can make politics feel more accessible and encourage people who might otherwise tune out to pay attention. But it also raises concerns. When unqualified influencers are shaping political opinions, the chances of misunderstanding or falsehood increase dramatically. The same research revealed that 54% of Americans who regularly consume creator content about the midterms say they always or often fact-check what they’re hearing. That means nearly half do not. And perhaps more troubling, 28% say political content on social media has made them less certain about what to trust in general. That erosion of trust is exactly what misinformation thrives on. When people don’t know who to believe, they may either believe nothing or believe everything, and both extremes are dangerous in a democracy. Social media political misinformation—the rapid online spread of false, fabricated, or intentionally misleading content designed to influence public opinion and undermine civic trust—isn’t just about bad information. It’s about making people feel so confused and skeptical that they disengage entirely.
Marcy Thornhill, who works every day to keep people safe online, has a simple but powerful message for anyone feeling overwhelmed by the noise: know your ballot, know the information, and contact your election office if you have questions. She urges voters not to get discouraged or confused by misinformation, and above all, not to let it prevent them from casting a ballot. That last point is crucial because misinformation often aims to make people feel like voting doesn’t matter or that the system is rigged, and those feelings can lead to apathy. But the best defense, Thornhill says, is to go straight to the source. Local election offices are staffed by real people who are trained to provide accurate, official information about polling places, voting hours, ballot drop-offs, and what’s actually on the ballot. They are not trying to go viral, and they have no agenda other than helping citizens participate in democracy. When voters skip the algorithm entirely and go directly to their county or state election board, they cut through all the rumors and distortions that clutter their feeds. Torn between a story about voter fraud and a story about voter suppression? The election office can tell you what’s really happening. Unsure whether a particular candidate supports a certain policy? Their official website and campaign filings will give you clearer answers than a meme ever could. It might not be as exciting as scrolling through a creator’s live Q&A, but it’s real, verified, and reliable. And in an age where misinformation can look just as polished as authentic journalism, reliability is worth more than entertainment.
But how can the average person spot misinformation before it pulls them in? Thornhill offers a few practical tips. First, pay attention to where the post comes from. Is it from a news organization with a track record of accuracy? A random account with no name, no face, and no credentials? An anonymous meme page? Context matters enormously. Second, look for source citations within the post itself. A credible post will usually link to a study, a government website, or a reputable news article. If it just makes a claim and asks you to take it at face value, be wary. Third, check the date and the details. Old clips resurface constantly and get repackaged as new events, or real incidents get twisted to fit a different narrative. An image from last year’s rally might be presented as if it happened yesterday. Fourth, think about how the post makes you feel. Misinformation often triggers strong emotions—outrage, fear, joy—because emotional content gets shared more often. If something makes you instantly furious or extremely excited, that’s a red flag to slow down and verify before you hit share. Sharing misinformation, even unintentionally, can hurt real people and influence real elections. You don’t have to be a professional journalist to be careful; you just have to be curious and skeptical enough to ask, “Who put this out there, and why?” If you still can’t decide, go to a trusted, nonpartisan source like the local election office or even a librarian. Librarians are underused heroes in the fight against misinformation, and they can help you find trustworthy resources.
Now here’s the tricky part: even the tools we use to check facts can mislead us. The research found that 21% of Americans say they use AI tools like ChatGPT to verify political claims. That sounds savvy, but Adams warns that it’s not as safe as people think. AI models are powerful, but they are not perfect. They have a documented problem of “hallucinating,” meaning they can generate confident-sounding answers that are completely wrong. They don’t understand truth the way a human does; they predict patterns based on the huge amounts of data they’ve been trained on, and sometimes those patterns produce falsehoods. If you ask an AI whether a politician made a certain statement, it might say yes because that statement appears in a very popular meme that has been shared hundreds of thousands of times. But popularity is not the same as truth. Adams says one defense is to always ask the AI to share its sources. If it can’t point you to a real, verifiable article or document, don’t trust its answer. Even better, treat AI as a starting point, not a final authority. Use it to brainstorm questions, to understand different perspectives, or to get a list of topics to look up—but then go and look up those topics on trusted websites. Think of AI like a phone call with a friend who’s pretty smart but sometimes confused. You love your friend, but you’d still double-check a claim that sounds off before betting your vote on it. The same logic applies here. If the source isn’t clear, if the data isn’t linked, or if the answer feels too neat and convenient, do more digging before you accept it.
At the end of the day, the internet is an incredible tool—it gives us access to information and perspectives that were unimaginable a few decades ago. It can educate, inspire, and connect us. But it is also a wild west, where memes, rumors, and outright lies travel just as fast as the truth. The best approach, Thornhill and Adams both agree, is a combination of curiosity, common sense, and direct verification. Don’t let misinformation discourage you from participating in democracy. Don’t let it make you so confused that you stay home. Instead, make a habit of double-checking everything that matters. Follow a few reliable news sources, bookmark your local election office’s website, and before you share that viral post, think twice. Ask yourself if you’d be comfortable explaining this to a friend if it turned out to be false. If not, maybe leave the sharing to someone else. And when you have doubts, don’t be afraid to ask questions out loud. Talk to your family and friends, call your election office, and use AI tools carefully, always demanding sources. Voting is one of the most important rights we have, and it’s too important to be derailed by a catchy but fake meme. The internet is full of it, literally, but that doesn’t mean we have to fall for it. By staying informed, staying skeptical, and staying engaged, we can cut through the noise and make our voices heard at the ballot box—because the health of our democracy depends on voters who are confident, informed, and inspired to participate.