Social Media And Fake News

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‘social media and fake news’ is commonly discussed topic in conversations related to disadvantages of social media. Fake news is manipulated information that misguides its consumers. Today, social media is full of misinformation that many people consume and believe without examining its authenticity which may cause serious consequences. Rightly said by Marcia McNutt, President of the National Academy of Science in United States, “Misinformation is worse than an epidemic: it spreads at the speed of light throughout the globe and can prove deadly when it reinforces misplaced personal bias against all trustworthy evidence.”  fake news exist before the invention of social media, but the most concerning aspect today is how quickly fake news spreads via social media.

(This video about “A Pandemic of FAKE NEWS – Disinformation on Social Media”)

Motivations to spread fake news

There are numerous motives that drive social media users to create and spread the fake news.  The most common intention behind the creation of fake news is to get impression and engagement on social media such as likes, comments, shares and followers. Sometimes, even celebrities on social spread fake news about themselves to get limelight and public attention. For example, Indian actress Poonam Pandey on 01 February, 2024, spread the fake news of her death via her official Instagram account, which was claimed by public as an unethical and a publicity stunt. Other than that, people also run campaigns against their opponents based on misinformation. Platforms like X formally known as twitter is commonly used for running campaigns by using hashtags.

(Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The mechanisms of fake news virility

Social media users spread fake news and misinformation on social media because it go viral swiftly. Virility of any social media content depends on the preference of audience. For instance, most of the people love a good rumor and love to share it. As per Dr. Binder, “. . . most people share fake news for the sake of sharing, like indulging in the latest rumors. . .” this is something people practice offline through gossip. Moreover, people also like controversial content and share it without confirming its validity, which ends up increasing the content’s engagement. Social media algorithm may perceive it attractive content and further amplify such content as it is attracting huge audience.

Impact of fake news on society

The amount of fake news has so much increased on social media that it has become very difficult to trust any news source for authenticity. Many people have experienced disillusionment, when they realize that the news source they used to trust eventually proved to be biased. For example, “two-thirds of U.S. adults say they have seen the news sources they turn to most often present factual information that favors one side of an issue in coverage of the 2020 election.” This generates trust issue in public and they become confuse to identify truthful and real news among penalty of fake news roaming on social media.

Challenges to abandon fake news

It has become more challenging to distinguish between bogus and authentic content on social media due to the spread of false news. Easy access to social media is one of the main factors for the transmission of false information to increase. Social media platforms allow anyone with internet access to share content regardless of its reliability. Another hurdle to abandon spread of fake news is evolution of technology. For instance, content manipulated by artificial intelligence is very complex to be identified as misinformation. It allows anyone to manipulate content and misguide people to promote opinion of their own interest.

Ethical and regulatory considerations to prevent fake content

It is ethical responsibility of social media platform like Facebook, Instagram and twitter to provide healthy content to their users. They are supposed to protect their users from sharing and consuming fake and unreliable content which may harm users in anyway. On the other hand governments and social media must take collective measures to prevent misinformation. For example, European Union has introduced General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Digital Services Act (DSA). GDPR is to protect user data and privacy rights, where DSA guide platforms with obligations to prevent illegal content, to ensure safer digital space for its users.

Conclusion

Social media is the most common engagement of this generation. People spends hours using this platform for multiple purpose including entertainment, learning campaigns and promotions. People share and consume content on this platform without any strict regulations. It enables opportunities for some users to share fake content for their self-interests. Which misleads people and confuses them to develop an original and unbiased opinion about any event. Therefore, social media and governments should collectively take comprehensive measures to avoid such unethical activities and make social media safe and reliable source of information.

REFERENCES

Aimeur, E. (2023, February 9). Fake news, disinformation and misinformation in social media: a review. Retrieved from National library of Medicine : https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9910783/

Marshall, N. (2017, November 2). 7 reasons why fake news goes viral, according to experts. Retrieved from Irish Independent: https://www.independent.ie/world-news/7-reasons-why-fake-news-goes-viral-according-to-experts/36283450.html

Mollan, C. (2024, February 5). Poonam Pandey: Fake cancer death of India actress sparks ethics debate. Retrieved from BBC: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-68201524

SHEARER, E. (2020, NOVEMBER 2). Two-thirds of U.S. adults say they’ve seen their own news sources report facts meant to favor one side. Retrieved from PEW Research Center: https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2020/11/02/two-thirds-of-u-s-adults-say-theyve-seen-their-own-news-sources-report-facts-meant-to-favor-one-side/

FAQs

There are numerous motives that drive social media users to create and spread the fake news. The most common intention behind the creation of fake news is to get impression and engagement on social media such as likes, comments, shares and followers. Sometimes, even celebrities on social spread fake news about themselves to get limelight and public attention. For example, Indian actress Poonam Pandey on 01 February, 2024, spread the fake news of her death via her official Instagram account, which was claimed by public as an unethical and a publicity stunt. Other than that, people also run campaigns against their opponents based on misinformation. Platforms like X formally known as twitter is commonly used for running campaigns by using hashtags.
Social media users spread fake news and misinformation on social media because it go viral swiftly. Virility of any social media content depends on the preference of audience. For instance, most of the people love a good rumor and love to share it. As per Dr. Binder, “. . . most people share fake news for the sake of sharing, like indulging in the latest rumors. . .” this is something people practice offline through gossip. Moreover, people also like controversial content and share it without confirming its validity, which ends up increasing the content's engagement. Social media algorithm may perceive it attractive content and further amplify such content as it is attracting huge audience.
The amount of fake news has so much increased on social media that it has become very difficult to trust any news source for authenticity. Many people have experienced disillusionment, when they realize that the news source they used to trust eventually proved to be biased. For example, “two-thirds of U.S. adults say they have seen the news sources they turn to most often present factual information that favors one side of an issue in coverage of the 2020 election.” This generates trust issue in public and they become confuse to identify truthful and real news among penalty of fake news roaming on social media.
The proliferation of fake news has made it difficult to differentiate real and fake information on social media. One of the primary factor contributing in increasing spread of misinformation is easy access to social media. Social media platforms allow anyone with internet access to share content regardless of its reliability. Another hurdle to abandon spread of fake news is evolution of technology. For instance, content manipulated by artificial intelligence is very complex to be identified as misinformation. It allows anyone to manipulate content and misguide people to promote opinion of their own interest.
It is ethical responsibility of social media platform like Facebook, Instagram and twitter to provide healthy content to their users. They are supposed to protect their users from sharing and consuming fake and unreliable content which may harm users in anyway. On the other hand governments and social media must take collective measures to prevent misinformation. For example, European Union has introduced General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Digital Services Act (DSA). GDPR is to protect user data and privacy rights, where DSA guide platforms with obligations to prevent illegal content, to ensure safer digital space for its users.

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