Fake News

    “Apart from the results of the United States presidential election and the United Kingdom referendum on Brexit, one of the most newsworthy issues of 2016 was news itself- or rather "fake news" and its impact on those and other events”  (Burshtein, 2017). As described by Burshtein (2017), fake news is patently false and is created and presented in a way meant to deceive consumers into thinking that it is real. Fake news also typically will include clickbait, which although may not be false in nature, is intended to capture the attention of an audience and persuade them to click on the post or article. Although fake news had occurred for years prior to the 2016 U.S. presidential election, it garnered widespread attention when “ inaccurate social media posts were spread to large groups of users, a form of “viral” circulation found most prominently on the Facebook platform, during the campaign” (McDougall, 2021). Additionally, “a key development in the use of the term “fake news” was Donald Trump’s adoption of it, following his election, as a negative description of unfavorable media coverage, going so far as to respond to unwanted questions from reporters in press conferences with ‘you’re fake news’” (McDougall, 2021).

    As discussed by McDougall (2021), the distinctive impact of fake news has been to destabilize mainstream news media and provoke a crisis of trust in journalism, contributing to polarized public discourse and an increase in discriminatory communication. In terms of technology's  role in fake news, is that social media has allowed for the global spread of instantaneous information that is not true. In addition, social media also allows consumers to share the false information at a rapid pace, which can create feelings of panic and mistrust in journalism, education, and the government. A study conducted at USC by Madrid (2023), found that habitual users of Facebook forwarded six times more fake news than occasional or new users. Why do consumers spread false information? “Some people don’t process information critically, and others form opinions based on political biases, which also affects their ability to recognize false stories online” (Madrid, 2023). To combat the spread of fake news, consumers should fact-check the information they are seeing before they share it. A long term approach would be to educate people about the threats of fake news and how to identify it. This raises the question of the role and responsibility that social media platforms have in order to combat the spread of fake news. Is it, for example, the job of Facebook to combat the spread of false information more than it is the job of consumers?

References

Burshtein, S. (2017). The True Story on Fake News. Intellectual Property Journal, 29(3), 397-446. https://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com%2Fscholarly-journals%2Ftrue-story-on-fake-news%2Fdocview%2F1934912990%2Fse-2%3Faccountid%3D3783

Madrid, P. (2023, January 17). USC study reveals the key reason why fake news spreads on social media. USC News. USC study reveals the key reason why fake news spreads on social media. 

McDougall, J. (2021, August 25). Fake News. Oxford Bibliographies. https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/display/document/obo-9780199756841/obo-9780199756841-0263.xml