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11 October 2026

A message arrives on your phone. It sounds convincing, perhaps even alarming. Someone you trust has forwarded it, and several people have already shared it.

Would you pass it on?

Most of us would like to believe that we are careful with information. Yet a familiar name, a confident tone or a large number of shares can persuade us before we have examined what we are reading.

There is a simple habit that can save us from many mistakes: pause before believing, and pause again before forwarding.

First, look for the original source. A screenshot without a link, a quotation without a name or a photograph without a date may leave out the very information needed to understand it.

Next, ask whether the claim can be checked elsewhere. If a report is important, reliable independent sources should help establish what is known. Be particularly careful when a message demands immediate action or tries to frighten you into sharing it.

Finally, separate what has been proved from what someone merely suspects. A confident opinion is not the same as a verified fact, and repetition does not turn a false claim into a true one.

This matters beyond social media. It affects our relationships, our decisions, our money and the trust people place in us.

We cannot investigate every sentence that crosses our path. But we can refuse to become the next link in the chain of a claim we have not checked.

There is no shame in saying, “I don’t know whether this is true.”

In fact, that may be one of the most responsible things we can say.

The next time a message urges you to share it immediately, give yourself permission to wait.

A few seconds of doubt can sometimes prevent days of regret.

Rajat Chandra Sarmah, Guwahati, Assam, India, Instagram @rajatchandrasarmah, YouTube: conversewithasmile, email rajatchandrasarmah@gmail.com