A 55-year-old Heraklion woman fell victim to an incredible scam, believing she was communicating with a Hollywood star online. Their communication lasted for months and reached such a point that within 6 months the woman was convinced to lend money to the supposed star, with the gold-fingered conman posing as the charming Keanu Reeves. What the victim reported left the police speechless as the "acquaintance" cost her 150 thousand euros.
This news from last week shows how "vulnerable" people are to online scams. In particular the generation that used to tell us "don't believe what you read on the internet" has become the generation that believes everything it reads on the internet.
How many times have you not helped your grandmother to be able to send a message? Or your grandpa making a Facebook profile? The generation of Gen Z has turned into a "teacher" of the previous generations in matters of the Internet, but this does not mean that they themselves are not deceived.
The usual phenomenon in Greece, of course, is credit card fraud or some virus sent by email or even in the buying and selling of products over the Internet. 44.4% of Greek internet users, according to a Kaspersky survey, faced some form of threat during the period January – March 2022. This places Greece, according to the same survey, in 2nd place worldwide in terms of surfing risks online, just one place behind Ukraine.
When you get an alarmist chain letter in the mail or see an outrageous article on the front page of a tabloid, you can easily recognize them as fake. Some readers don't automatically question similar information on the web or in an email forwarded by a friend. The internet is still relatively new as a widespread method of communication, and many people still don't know how to spot online pranks.
The internet contains a wealth of valuable information, but it's often hard to tell the good from the bad. With its easy accessibility, low cost, and wide distribution, the Internet is an excellent medium for spreading falsehoods and inaccuracies.
Another trap for the young and the old is the fake news that is not circulated by the news media but by social media users.
The internet is nothing but a new form of media as opposed to traditional media. Before the internet, there were posters and flyers, radio, print ads, newspapers, television, etc. People still believed things they were told back then. The internet has only increased the volume and speed of exposure and there will always be people who will believe whatever content they receive through whatever medium they choose.
In the past, if people were in doubt and wanted to know more about a subject, they had to take a trip to the library to do research or find other reliable, albeit limited, sources. How many would bother?
With the internet, the opportunity to research is literally at our fingertips. But people will believe what they want to believe. Not only does the internet allow information and misinformation to spread far, wide and fast, but it also allows people to stay in cubicles and feed their own cognitive biases.
I'm afraid it's just human nature to settle for the convenience of confirmation bias rather than try to ascertain the accuracy of the information they receive, despite the ease with which they can now fact-check or seek a balanced view.
This is made easier for elders as older generations may be more hesitant about engaging in online activities because they have to adapt to them. They are digital immigrants, while younger generations are more comfortable interacting with technology because they don't know the world any other way. They are digital natives.
Digital immigrants were born or raised in an era before the world began to shift towards a technology-first society. They remember a world before the rise of the internet, meaning Gen X, Baby Boomers and Silent Traditionalists are all considered digital immigrants.
Integrating technology into their daily lives is not as inherent in these digital generations. They've had to learn to adapt to the digital-first world and are sometimes leery of doing so, often considering old-school solutions before humoring new-wave conveniences.
In general, digital immigrants are also slower to take advantage of the internet or connected devices and are also sometimes less aware of how they work in the first place — and then the threats associated with them.
Digital natives know no other world but the digital one. They are usually more tech-savvy because they were born or raised in the digital age, when there was widespread access to the internet and devices such as computers and smartphones readily available.
For digital natives, adapting to the evolution of technology is inherent, but this does not always mean that they are aware of the threats associated with new developments in the internet and devices.
So, which age groups are digital natives? Most people think of digital natives as people born after the growth of the Internet in the early 80s, which means that Millennials, Gen Z, and Gen Alpha are all considered digital natives.
Born between 1945 and 1965, Baby Boomers entered the world at the end of World War II and the economic recovery. This digital generation is most valued for their work ethic and they are also among the early adopters of computers at home.
While often more open to adapting to technological advances than Silent Traditionalists, Baby Boomers are now more tech-friendly than ever in light of the Covid-19 pandemic and have no intention of doing away with their tech ways.
For some context on how Baby Boomers are using technology today, according to a global overview during the pandemic:
Baby Boomers saw a 431 percent increase in the use of curbside pickup, which is using an app or online service to order groceries.
88 percent of Baby Boomers say they will continue to use these types of technologies to make their daily lives easier.
What does this show us? That more and more older people are using the internet but in reality, people are as gullible and easily led as ever. Skepticism is as rare as ever. Seemingly thousands of Americans are willing to believe something they hear secondhand or thirdhand without subjecting their curiosities to the most basic fact-checking. They seem to believe a single article—or, let's be honest, a headline—the first time they read it, before taking that information and spreading it to everyone in their sphere of influence.
People often prefer writing to reading. We prefer to be in the play than in the audience. As humans, we like attention, so we speak as loudly as possible. We want others to think we are smart and well informed. Who among us is not guilty of this? I can't even count how many times in a conversation I've run out of clues and turned on the guesswork. Oh sure, sounds like I know what I'm talking about, but I've started to throw some assumptions in between the knowledge. Not when I'm writing of course, I have Google and Wikipedia for help here.
Don't believe everything you read online. In fact, it's probably a good practice not to believe anything you read or see anywhere, and certainly never from a single source. If there's a topic or controversy you're interested in, dig a little deeper. Read the counterargument. Read some counterarguments. It's probably a good rule of thumb to read at least two arguments and counter, but to be honest that shouldn't be enough. Start a Google alert so you can get the latest news from your area of interest and or keep an eye on what's coming. Does it seem like a lot of work? If that's the case, then maybe activism and specialization aren't for you.
It is very important to remain skeptical. Many people will dismiss you as cynical, but this is someone who is actively trying to influence you. There are no prizes for "fastest figure", so take your time. Wait a few days. Don't form an opinion based on emotion, let it marinate a bit before it pops out of your mouth. This is exactly how everyone regardless of age should react to what they read and see, or even sent to deceive them. Listening and reading are more constructive than speaking and writing.