Fake News 

                                                                   

What is fake news?

                                                                                                                                                                      The term fake news eludes to reports, images, and videos that are shared to purposefully spread misinformation i.e. information that is factually incorrect. These news items may appear authentic at first and attempt to attract attention, shock, or shape opinions. Fake news can be created by individuals or groups who are acting in their own interests or those of third parties. The creation of misinformation is usually motivated by personal, political, or economic agendas.

The sharing of fabricated news to shape public opinion on certain topics is not a recent phenomenon. Sensational headlines or political articles used to spread lies and propaganda have been around since the emergence of print media. In times of digital information exchange, fake news has become more of an online phenomenon that is difficult to control. Fake news can reach high levels of visibility in a short amount of time because it’s easy to share via social media and social bots.

Causes of fake news in India 

1.  We crave confirmation of our world views and social media is a great place for it

Dr Jens Binder, senior lecturer in Psychology at Nottingham Trent University, believes that most of the time, sharing on social media is done for emotional reasons and this applies to fake news as well.

He said: “We consume news not just because of the facts in there, but also to make sense of the world, to confirm our notion of how things are working ‘out there’.”

2. Information is social currency, even if it’s inaccurate

Digital anthropologist Nik Pollinger, who specialises in the relationship between humans and digital technology, believes objective truth can take a secondary place in a world where information acts as social currency.

He said: “As individuals, we crave confirmation of our worldview. Provided we have a base level of trust in the source of information, its objective truth is of secondary importance.

3. We love a good rumour

Dr Binder believes a few people may deliberately choose what information to share on social media to influence opinion but in most cases, people love indulging in a rumour.

He said: “Some people share fake news for strategic reasons, to sway or influence opinion. Most people use social media and related services for personal purposes, not to pursue a political agenda and therefore, most people share fake news for the sake of sharing, like indulging in the latest rumours.

4. We have a system that allows news to act like contagion

According to Dr Francisco Perez-Reche from Aberdeen University, who led a study last year where he created a mathematical model for viral content, sensational news on social media behaves in a manner similar to a virus causing an epidemic.

He said: “We often witness social phenomena that become accepted by many people overnight, especially now in the age of social media.

5. There are sneaky algorithms working in the background that shows what we want to see

Dr Philip Seargeant, who co-authored a book called the Language Of Social Media, says algorithms used by Facebook and similar social media sites “has the effect of foregrounding stories from friends with likeminded opinions, and hiding or filtering out stories you’re likely to disagree with”.

He said: “The argument is that this means you’re less likely to engage with a diverse range of ideas, and instead get fed stories and ideas from perspectives you agree with (and have thus liked in the past).”

6. Fake news publishers are driven by a strong financial motive

Pollinger explained: “What is different is that a majority of us now get news from social media sites, with trusted social connections replacing media such as newspapers as our prime news source.

“Because of the way they work, these sites have left the field open as never before to the ideologically driven and financially incentivised to peddle fake news and for people to circulate it.”

7. The current political climate has allowed fake news to prosper

Dr Paul Elmer, principal lecturer at the Lancashire School of Business and Enterprise, believes the rise of fake news has largely been influenced by politicians.

He said: “Politicians are outraged by so called fake news, but they are largely responsible for creating the environment in which it can flourish.

“When policy statements and government practices move beyond parody, we are all free to meet outrage with credulity.