British writer Oobah Butler wanted to experiment with how easily one can manipulate public opinion online. He created a fake restaurant called The Shed at Dulwich. Butler set up an account for his "restaurant" on a popular online review site. He did not provide an exact address and wrote that it was reservations only. He did this to make people think The Shed was a special restaurant. His goal was to see how far he could take this deception in an online world where reviews heavily influence people's choices.

He faked photos of The Shed's food using shaving cream, whitening tablets, and even his own foot. He then asked his friends to write favorable fake reviews on the review site. As more positive reviews appeared, the restaurant started gaining attention. Things quickly got, in Butler's words, "a little out of hand." From the lowest of the charts of the review site, The Shed continuously climbed the London rankings. He even started getting e-mails and phone calls requesting reservations.

Interest further increased when he told callers The Shed was "fully booked for the next six weeks." Even funnier, food suppliers started guessing The Shed's address and sent him free samples. Many job applications came in, with people eager to work at what they thought was an exclusive restaurant. These things happened without Butler serving a single meal. The Shed eventually became London's number-one restaurant on one of the most trusted restaurant review sites. According to Butler, The Shed held that ranking for two weeks.

Butler's story shows that much of what we see on the Internet cannot be trusted. This emphasizes the importance of digital literacy. Digital literacy is about more than just using computers. It is the ability to use digital technology to find, evaluate, create, and communicate information. To become digitally literate, we need to develop an attitude and knowledge that enable us to detect false information online. False information is any information that misinforms or deceives people. It can be influential, as The Shed incident shows.

If people had been digitally literate, they would not have been fooled by The Shed experiment so easily. Digitally literate people would have carefully considered information about The Shed without being distracted by other people's reactions. They would have been suspicious that the restaurant did not have an address. They would have wondered why reviews on the restaurant did not appear in other more credible media. If they had done these things, they would likely have suspected that something was not right. To avoid being deceived, people need to evaluate online information critically.

Fortunately, The Shed incident was an experiment that caused little damage. However, false information can cause emotional or financial harm to people. For example, false information about a certain gender or belief group can stir up hatred against that group. Misleading online reviews about questionable products often trick people into wasting money. To prevent such issues, people must develop the habit of checking sources and verifying information. Sorting through the vast amount of information online is challenging, but it is necessary. The better we recognize false information, the better we will be at avoiding it and helping others do the same.