While out of context photos are meant to be taken lightly, within the context of pages like Screenshots With or Without Context, they’re actually viewed as quite insidious by some. According to cognitive psychologist Lisa Fazio, out of context photos can be a powerful, low-tech form of misinformation. “In the day after the January Iranian attack on U.S. military bases in Iraq, reporter Jane Lytvynenko at Buzzfeed documented numerous instances of old photos or videos being presented as evidence of the attack on social media,” Fazio explains. “These included photos from a 2017 military strike by Iran in Syria, video of Russian training exercises from 2014 and even footage from a video game. In fact, out of the 22 false rumors documented in the article, 12 involve this kind of out-of-context photos or video.”
Fazio goes on to share tips for how readers can protect themselves from misinformation being spread through photos taken out of context. “One of the best techniques, especially during a breaking news event, is to use a reverse image search,” she writes. “From the Google Chrome browser, it’s as simple as right-clicking on a photograph and choosing ‘Search Google for image.’ You’ll then see a list of all the other places that photograph has appeared online.”
“As consumers and users of social media, we have a responsibility for ensuring that information we share is accurate and informative,” Fazio adds. “By keeping an eye out for out-of-context photographs, you can help keep misinformation in check.
We hope you’re enjoying these interesting screenshots, pandas. Remember not to work too hard trying to understand them; some questions are best left unanswered. Keep upvoting the images you find most amusing, and let us know in the comments how you feel about these screenshots that may or may not have any context provided. Then, if you’re interested in viewing even more confusing yet entertaining photos, you can find another Bored Panda article featuring no-context pics right here!
