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Editor's Letter

The Role of Credit Unions in Stopping the Spread of Lies Online

The alarming rate at which Americans are being manipulated by unverified online content is a reminder to prioritize transparency and education.

Fake news on smartphone Source: Shutterstock

Looking back in history, humans have always considered “the truth” to be somewhat subjective. Whether the subject is religion and spirituality or the outcome of a murder trial, people tend to believe what they want to believe, choosing the belief that gives them the best advantage socially or contributes most favorably to their survival.

Studies have suggested it’s human nature to conform to others’ way of thinking in order to gain acceptance within a group, even when those thoughts are questionable or false. In the 1950s, psychologist Solomon Asch conducted an experiment in which a group of eight people were asked to state their answer to a simple multiple choice question aloud. Only one group member was an unsuspecting participant, while the others were told ahead of time to uniformly state the wrong answer. Three-quarters of unsuspecting participants gave the wrong answer at least once, matching their response to the other group members and following their instinctive need to fit in.

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Natasha Chilingerian

Natasha Chilingerian

Natasha Chilingerian has been immersed in the credit union industry for over a decade. She first joined CU Times in 2011 as a freelance writer, and following a two-year hiatus from 2013-2015, during which time she served as a communications specialist for Xceed Financial Credit Union (now Kinecta Federal Credit Union), she re-joined the CU Times team full-time as managing editor. She was promoted to executive editor in 2019. In the earlier days of her career, Chilingerian focused on news and lifestyle journalism, serving as a writer and editor for numerous regional publications in Oregon, Louisiana, South Carolina and the San Francisco Bay Area. In addition, she holds experience in marketing copywriting for companies in the finance and technology space. At CU Times, she covers People and Community news, cybersecurity, fintech partnerships, marketing, workplace culture, leadership, DEI, branch strategies, digital banking and more. She currently works remotely and splits her time between Southern California and Portland, Ore.

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