--- title: "Online Identity and Misinformation" description: "Understand the ethics of online identity and the importance of consistency between who you are online and offline; explain how recommendation algorithms and filter bubbles narrow information exposure;" canonical: https://lightmysky.com/learn/personal-and-social-development/online-identity-and-misinformation-mt_WtO50EZQkf source: https://lightmysky.com/learn/personal-and-social-development/online-identity-and-misinformation-mt_WtO50EZQkf.md retrieved: 2026-10-19 --- > **Agent view.** This is the Markdown twin of the page, for tools and assistants. > When to use this site, and the call that answers each job: https://lightmysky.com/agent-instructions.md > API description (OpenAPI 3.1): https://lightmysky.com/openapi.json · Authentication: https://lightmysky.com/auth.md > Pricing: https://lightmysky.com/pricing.md · Catalog: https://lightmysky.com/llms.txt · Full catalog: https://lightmysky.com/llms-full.txt > Every machine-readable file on this domain: https://lightmysky.com/.well-known/ai-catalog.json > Ask for Markdown with `Accept: text/markdown`, a `.md` address, or `?mode=agent`. # Online Identity and Misinformation Understand the ethics of online identity and the importance of consistency between who you are online and offline; explain how recommendation algorithms and filter bubbles narrow information exposure; evaluate the psychology of misinformation: why it spreads, why smart people believe it, and how to apply source evaluation (lateral reading, checking evidence, recognising emotional manipulation); understand digital consent around sharing images or personal information; explore the ethics of AI, surveillance, and data privacy as they affect everyday life; reflect on responsible content creation and online influence Subject: Personal & Social Development · Area: Responsible Decision-Making · Ages 12 to 13 Page: https://lightmysky.com/learn/personal-and-social-development/online-identity-and-misinformation-mt_WtO50EZQkf ## Lesson: Being Honest Online, Thinking Before You Share Your online identity is how people see you when you are not standing in front of them. It includes your posts, comments, photos, and profile. Ask yourself if that identity matches who you really are. Pretending to be very different online, like claiming to be older or making up things about yourself, can mislead people, and once they find out, it can break their trust in you. The same honesty applies to other people: always ask before posting a photo or personal detail about someone else. Apps and websites use recommendation algorithms to decide what you see next. These algorithms notice what you click, watch, and like, then show you more of the same. Over time, this can build a filter bubble: a narrower and narrower slice of the world that mostly agrees with what you already think. *(drawing: Each week, Zara's app shows her more posts that agree with her opinion. That is the filter bubble at work.)* **Example.** Jake sees a post claiming a celebrity said something outrageous. It makes him angry, so he almost shares it right away. Then he pauses, opens a new tab, and searches the celebrity's name with the claim. Three reliable news sites all say it never happened, so Jake decides not to share it. **Tip.** Before you believe or share a claim, try lateral reading: open a new tab and search what other trustworthy sources say about it, instead of only reading deeper into the same page. Watch for headlines built to make you angry or scared right away. That rush of feeling is often the point. **Recap.** Check the source and notice the feeling before you share, not after. Even careful people get fooled, so it always helps to look outside your own feed. ## Practice 8 questions on this page, each with its working shown. ## Needs first - [Risk, Uncertainty, and Cognitive Bias](https://lightmysky.com/learn/personal-and-social-development/risk-uncertainty-and-cognitive-bias-mt_JiZ3H90Xg8) - [Basic digital citizenship](https://lightmysky.com/learn/personal-and-social-development/basic-digital-citizenship-mt_zIzJGkaj0Q) ## Opens up - [What a feed is optimised for](https://lightmysky.com/learn/personal-and-social-development/what-a-feed-is-optimised-for-mt_kzhPakduam) - [Ethical Frameworks and Moral Reasoning](https://lightmysky.com/learn/personal-and-social-development/ethical-frameworks-and-moral-reasoning-mt_LPYPuSaxv_) - [Body Image and the Pictures You Scroll Past](https://lightmysky.com/learn/personal-and-social-development/body-image-and-the-pictures-you-scroll-past-mt_OyBLI3T0jX) - [Why a Chatbot Can Be Confidently Wrong](https://lightmysky.com/learn/computing/why-a-chatbot-can-be-confidently-wrong-mt_TMHNkprrks)