Fake News, Fake News Read All About It!
The internet has introduced many benefits to society; it distributes an abundance of knowledge with minimum effort, enhances connectivity across the globe and welcomes collaborations, to list a few. But when it comes down to news, it is often left to the readers to determine whether an article holds the truth as many news outlets face corruption with the concept of ‘fake news’. The primary debate is whether we, as a society, should appoint a regulator to terminate or at least control the spread of ‘fake news’. And if ‘fake news’ is even deemed to be a threat at all.
The infamous quote ‘money is power’ is relatively accurate even in the digital world. Politicians and business owners are quickly taking advantage of the openness of the Internet, creating opportunities to deceive people via bots. According to a Bot Traffic Report
‘More than half of the internet traffic comes from bots. An increasing amount of bots are being made to target social platforms.’ (Hughes, 2019)
I say ‘relatively’ as even founders of social media sites, who are affluent are struggling to maintain credibility and control as their sites distribute ‘fake news’. Directly impacting consumers that are perplexed when having to figure out for themselves if videos, audio and other sources of information are tampered.
Facebook is one of many sites that are catalysing the epidemic of ‘fake news’ across its platform. In October 2019 Mark Zuckerberg was questioned with regards to how he aims to deal with this issue. He claims that Facebook does not include labels on videos that are considered to be ‘fake news’ because it results in more clicks and views. Once the site is aware that videos are inaccurate, they cease distribution; however, once it is released, it can be shared endlessly. It is sparking the question as to why aren’t these videos taken down or strictly analysed before they are made public?
As long as the video doesn’t permit violence, terrorism or impact public safety, altered videos can remain on the site. But doesn’t ‘fake news’ pose a threat to public safety to some degree? Subconsciously social media consumers are taking in altered information which can have detrimental effects on their overall outlook with regards to lifestyle choices, politics and purchases. It can cause health scares, erode trust and lead to potentially damaging hoax stories, in turn, threatening public safety.
Surely the responsibility of controlling the amount of ‘fake news’ circulated via social media lies on the founders and creators of these sites. What once used to be fun, entertaining and connective sites have become the epitome for false information. Videos should undergo a cross fact check to reduce inaccurate information being shared to young and impressionable consumers who use social media on a daily basis.
As conglomerates turn a blind eye to ‘fake news’ and its impact on society, it is left down to the consumers once again to filter out and analyse the information provided before them. ‘44% of 18–27-year-olds have deleted the Facebook app in the US.’ (Thorpe, 2018) and although deleting apps is a start, consumers need to be aware of how to combat false information and tips can be found on the HM Government website.
Aljazeera.com. (2019). Is there any way to combat fake news and misinformation online?. [online] Available at: https://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/the-bottom-line/2019/11/combat-fake-news-misinformation-online-191104225222616.html [Accessed 27 Nov. 2019].
Hughes, M. (2019). Bots drove nearly 40% of internet traffic last year — and the naughty ones are getting smarter. [online] The Next Web. Available at: https://thenextweb.com/security/2019/04/17/bots-drove-nearly-40-of-internet-traffic-last-year-and-the-naughty-ones-are-getting-smarter/ [Accessed 27 Nov. 2019].
Thorpe, E. (2018). Publishers have finally fallen out of love with platforms, but it has been a hard lesson to learn. [online] Available at: https://moodle.brookes.ac.uk/pluginfile.php/2152573/mod_resource/content/0/Media-Moments-2018-Report.pdf [Accessed 20 Nov. 2019].
