“SHOCKING: Global warming isn’t real!” “Click here to see a secret the public must not know!”
We often come across such headlines on social networks, and an increasing number of people continue to share this kind of information. Sensationalist headlines make us want to be the first to find out new information, and in a fit of curiosity, we open the content of various media. Therefore, it is necessary to pay special attention to the content we watch, listen to or read, especially if we found it on the Internet. Media globalization has opened the door to many possibilities: to inform and communicate quickly and easily, but it has also given the opportunity for everyone who wants to, to publish information that may or may not be accurate. Social networks further speed up this process as readers share information they haven’t fully read because the headline is sensational and it attracts their attention.
Every day we are influenced by various information that we are bombarded with through modern and conventional media, but we very rarely think about their sources. We also encounter the term “fake news”, but do we know what they are, how to spot them and most importantly, how to stop their spreading?
Let’s start by defining this term. Fake news is any article or video that contains untrue information, disguised as a credible source of news, and their primary interest is to influence the opinions and views of readers. They may be sensationalist or ridiculous in content, but more often they are manipulative and are written in a way that causes outrage or shock to the viewer or reader who will continue to spread such misinformation.
The problem of fake news is deeply ingrained in society and can have negative consequences. As many as 83% of respondents to a survey conducted in EU member states believe that fake news poses a threat to democracy. Media freedom is an extremely important segment of democratic societies, but at the same time, news of untrue content must be limited, given that they have great power to influence the political attitudes of citizens. A critical review of media articles and the development of media literacy should be implemented in the education system, as media literate readers can hardly be manipulated.
Sometimes fake news is so well camouflaged that it looks real, so it’s not easy to judge what kind of content it is. To make it easier to recognize fake news, we need to critically analyse the information that is presented to us. We need to check which sources have been used and whether they are credible, whether the author of the content is known, and whether other media are talking about the same topic. If the answer to these questions is no, then there is a chance that it is fake news. So, it is very important that we question the information, and not automatically accept it as accurate.
In order to solve this problem systematically, it is necessary to promote media literacy in all social groups, especially among young people who are the most popular users of social media. It is also necessary to educate journalists to report in a truthful and ethically correct way. In addition, the institutions that regulate the work of media agencies should actively work on detecting the media that publish fake news, and should pay special attention to the electronic media. Social networks play a big role in flagging fake content that users post. We witnessed their capabilities even when they marked the Twitter post of Donald Trump, the President of the United States of America, as manipulated and suspended his Twitter account.
The problem arises when fake news is widely accepted, and once it is placed on the Internet, it is very difficult to stop their spread. As responsible citizens, we need to acquire a level of responsibility for the content we share with other people, regardless of the fact that this content can often shake us emotionally. It is time to reduce the impact of fake news on the attitudes and opinions of citizens so that we can build a knowledge society that values truth.
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