Why Misinformation Reinforces Horticultural Illiteracy, and How to Overcome it
November 2, 2020 
Chocolate milk comes from brown cows. Poinsettias are deadly if eaten. Cheese comes from plants, and a greenhouse is just that — a green house. You may chuckle at these ludicrous statements, but some misinformed souls believe them. It’s our job to change that. Only it might not be as straightforward as we think.
The internet has made it easy to become informed and even easier to be misinformed. One of the problems with illiteracy in any subject is it leaves one vulnerable to misinformation. Once the seed is planted, confirmation bias begins to take root. People start to favor information, true or not, that confirms their beliefs while rejecting or ignoring anything that challenges or disproves their viewpoint. We’ve most likely all been guilty of information bias at some point. Why? Because human nature dislikes being in the wrong.
So, how do we break the bonds of information bias and replace misinformation with the truth? Let’s start with voice, visibility, and view.
Voice. We use many complicated terms in the greenhouse industry. We may sound smart, but to an outsider, to the average consumer, it can come across as arrogant, or confusing, or impossibly over their heads. When that happens, people stop listening and close their minds to learning. Let’s meet people where they are. If it’s Allan Armitage you’re talking to, by all means, impress him with every proper horticulture term that comes to mind. If it’s a friend or family member with questions or someone completely new to what we do, use terms they can relate to and understand.
Visibility. Good marketers know you must get in front of your target audience as often as possible to communicate your message. And when you are in front of that audience, you need to stand out among the clutter that crowds the internet. If people don’t know you, how can they turn to you for accurate information? How can they trust you? Credibility goes a long way toward correcting half-truths and misleading facts. Our industry, collectively and individually, needs more visibility.
I love how Mucci Farms is using its new Spill the Greens podcast to increase its visibility. The team there leverages the podcast to bridge the gap between consumers and growers by educating retail buyers and end consumers about what they do, how they do it, and what the benefits are of greenhouse-grown produce. Think about ways to increase your visibility, whether it’s through teaching a class, giving a tour, making a video, or posting on social media. And let’s make sure we are visible to those who are uneducated about the industry. To use an old cliché, don’t preach to the choir.
View. A bobcat and a rabbit involved in a chase have different views of the same event. One sees its prey as dinner, the other views his foe as certain death. Whenever we’re correcting misinformation or talking about plants and what we do for a living, let’s try to look through the lens of someone else’s life experiences that have shaped their viewpoint.
Misinformation is everyone’s problem. People will obtain information, right or wrong, from somewhere. We have a responsibility to make sure it comes from a reliable, accurate source.
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