A 72-year-old-country is supposed to be equally mature and prudent. Yet in our nation, responsibility comes a far second after the freedom of public discourse, as reflected in, for example, people’s apparent preference for hoaxes over common sense.

The way to overcome the gullibility of a hoax-prone society is to establish a habit of reading. Yet many have little interest in reading books intensively and prefer to browse the internet instead. Several literate societies still have large numbers of people who are able to but not interested in reading.

Though countries have fewer illiterate people than they used to, spreading hoaxes in social media without double-checking remains widespread. Many fail to read beyond the basic search for information. Hence, we lack the lifelong capital important for a mature population, which is called literacy.

Today, we bump into confusing information that changes rapidly, while our time to verify such information is limited. A lot of information covering a single incident involves opposing angles. Often, the coverage and delivery of news and information prioritizes lust rather than the correct and proper delivery of information.

As a result, the sharing of information outpaces its verification. Many people read a headline and, without thinking, share it with others out of the blue. They do not care whether it is a hoax or fact. The thumb whitewashes the brain, lust routs logic.

Literacy is instrumental in minimizing the spread of unknown information and preventing people from spreading deceit, rumor or false reports.