I often see friends and colleagues share misinformation on social media. Should I correct them or let it go? — Wary Witness
Dear Wary Witness,
Social media platforms have become marketplaces that commodify engagement. Here, division, outrage and attention-seeking become clickbait currencies that fuel the algorithms. The pace of online interaction produces a reactive culture rather than a carefully reflective one. Instead of engaging in thoughtful conversation, we’re trapped in cycles of performance — speaking to be seen, rather than seeking to understand.
In such a world, the witness of a Christian, or any conscientious person, must be profoundly different. Engage, instead, in the slow, patient and sometimes painful work of truth-seeking. Dialogue, as opposed to the quick-fire exchanges of social media, requires space for listening, for questioning and for considering difference with care and humility. It moves slowly, without the promise of immediate reward, but in its slowness lies its holiness, as it mirrors the way of Christ: slow to anger, full of compassion, present to the other in love.
In a culture where misinformation is rampant, especially in digital spaces, the urge to correct can be strong. However, we must be careful not to reduce this to a mere act of “winning” an argument. If the goal is simply to be right, the odds are that we will fail — not because the facts are irrelevant, but because deeply held beliefs are rarely changed through confrontation alone. Instead, we must focus on nurturing truth not as an abstract principle, but as something deeply connected to the humanity of the person with whom we engage.
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Therefore, I’d recommend that you resist the temptation to contribute to the commodified noise and, instead, speak directly to your friend or colleague: engage in the hard, patient work of dialogue, truth-seeking and compassionate correction, always with humility and a commitment to caring practices. Speak with an openness to learning, remembering that we, too, are shaped by forces we may not fully understand.
Lead with curiosity, not condemnation. Invite conversation rather than confrontation. Prioritize the relationship over the outcome. And finally, remember that liberation from falsehood is often a gradual process.
Our friends and colleagues may not yet be ready to hear the truth, not because they are unwilling, but because they are bound by deeper, more stubborn forces — fear, identity or the weight of community pressure. In these moments, our task is not to force change, but to offer truth gently, trusting that, in time, the seeds of understanding may take root.
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Ashley Moyse is a Canadian ethicist, theologian and associate professor of bioethics at Baylor University in Texas.
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