Has the Internet, social media, and the era of “disruption” made us all complicit in peddling propaganda?
“Fake news” as a concept seems to have popped up during the past 18 months or so, largely due to the 2016 US Presidential Election.
What started off as business as usual for our representative democracy, quickly turned into a barrage of Russian propaganda, questionable media ethics from political news outlets, and real-time social media posts that contained the fire and fury of a thousand burning suns.
Before we all knew it, America had been duped into believing more fake news stories than a kindergartener reading the Onion for their first time.
But Who Is Really to Blame?
We could blame the media for trading on constant outrage and skimmable, but vapid political content in order to turn generations of otherwise diligent, critically-thinking Americans into confused, distrustful talking points for political elites.
The reality however is that this is all just par for the course.
Outside Influencers
From Lord Northcliffe Alfred Charles William Harmsworth’s early work pioneering the British newspaper industry to Rupert Murdoch’s stronghold on nearly all of modern media, the idea that news can function without influence and capital is both false and foolish. Propaganda is as old as politics but thanks to how we as citizens consume media these days, the line between real and “alternative” is becoming increasingly thin.
Clickbait
Journalists, broadcasters and news writers need to draw in audiences either through persuasive, emotional or salacious language.
This isn’t exactly a new practice in the digital era.
What is unclear however, is why many publishers will so often opt for the third option, thereby removing any depth from the story they are trying to engage the audience in.
Tip: Give your readers a strong first impression by matching your headline to the tone of the story. If you’re not working with an editor, try writing your story first, and use the strongest passage or paragraph as inspiration.
The Nature of the Internet, Itself
The Internet is essentially a vast information database that can be accessed by anyone with a cable or phone connection. This accessibility gave way to the rapid-fire stream of other people’s consciousness that is social media.
Granted, these are helpful tools for encouraging knowledge and expanding common interests beyond what is often presented via traditional media, but the past year has showed just how damaging over-personalizing and sensationalizing the news experience could be.
Data may show that online audiences prefer more tailored content that can speak directly to the issues they are most affected by (or in fear of), but at this point, the term “echo chamber” has leaped from the dictionary, grown sentient, and taken up residence in 95% of Internet comment forums.
Technology: The News is Everywhere Now
It doesn’t help that society is currently moving at such a quick pace that a majority of the populace has to manage a constant barrage of notifications intruding on their devices and current event updates taking over even the more fun parts of the Internet.
For the many of consumers who also prefer to use their devices as a channel for escapism, the saturation of online content with social discourse and “identity politics” dilutes the value of Internet accessibility almost entirely.
The only way for most of modern media (including journalists, bloggers, vloggers, influencers and the like) to build trust with their readers, is to stay disciplined in the face of absolute absurdity.
If journalism can rise from the ashes of the Great Recession to find itself in a more personal, profitable format online, then so can it’s integrity.
Read more stories like this here.
