This post will explore the phenomenon of fake news, and why it will change the way you think. You’ll learn about clickbait, propaganda, memes and how they have now become mainstream like restaurantes barranquitas puerto rico. All this will make you think twice about what you read online.
Fake news has been around for a while now, but there is a problem with it that we are not talking enough about: it’s really bad for democracy. In this post I’ll be exploring how fake news works, its impact on society and more importantly what we can do to stop it in its tracks.
1. Clickbait
The first issue with fake news is that you need to click on it. It’s a simple concept, but many news sources are seemingly exploiting this. There are people out there now who still think it’s cool to click on links for the lols and because they think they won’t be able to find anything of interest by doing so.
While I agree that sometimes finding an interesting link is an adventure, most websites nowadays provide information in different ways: videos, podcasts, images… You name it. You can find anything you’re looking for without clicking on a link or at least if the idea of clicking one really draws your attention…
2. Propaganda
If you thought that clickbait is the worst part about fake news, then you are wrong. The fact of the matter is that fake news and propaganda have been hand in hand for years, but now there is one key difference: Propaganda is becoming mainstream.
Propaganda has always worked by releasing misleading information and spreading it around with the aim of manipulating and influencing public opinion. This information could be used to sway elections, build support for political initiatives or to simply convince the masses of something false. It’s all about lying to people in order to achieve a specific political goal.
The problem with propaganda is that it’s not only meant to influence opinions but also silence opposing views while spreading lies.
3. Memes
When I talk about propaganda, I’m also referring to memes. A meme is an idea that spreads virally through a culture, often compelling people to do or say something. They’re often funny or surprising.
Many of the most famous examples of these occur online, and they usually don’t have anything to do with politics or the media world. Two of the most popular memes today are Pepe the Frog and Harambe (the zoo gorilla).
Memes are fun and sometimes original, but they must also be filtered through human minds before they can spread further. Propaganda and fake news are often based on memes.
4. Clickbait & Conspiracy Theories
Clickbait is one thing, but conspiracy theories are a whole other beast. These theories generally have little or no basis in reality, and usually only serve as a way to push an agenda through sensationalist news articles. They’re not necessarily fake, sometimes they can be based on facts but are presented in a way that makes it hard to tell the truth from fiction.
The problem with these lies is that you’ll start to believe them because of how clickbait-like they are. You’ll keep clicking on them because you’re curious to see what the source material is.
The weirdest part about this is that conspiracy theorists are now taking real news as clickbait, an example of this would be the PizzaGate conspiracy theory. This resulted in a man showing up at a family restaurant with an AR-15 rifle because he thought there would be molestation occurring in the basement (there wasn’t). He was later arrested and charged with assault with a dangerous weapon.
In this case, there was no link between the news reports and the man’s actions, they were simply used as clickbait to get angry people to read them. This is not fake news but it still goes hand in hand with it.
5. Fake News Papers & Websites
While some of the sources behind these fake news stories are obvious (like 4chan), others are a bit harder to find. How do you know what is a credible source or not? You need to learn how to spot the signs that could get you into trouble, two of them are listed below.
Mainstream news sources don’t usually link to articles with clickbait titles, there is no benefit for them doing so. If you see an article about Kim Kardashian’s butt, for example, and it’s linked on BBC or in The New York Times chances are it may be fake news.
You also need to look out for the use of propaganda techniques, because it may be a telltale sign that the story being told may be biased or otherwise false.
6. Facebook Isn’t Being Honest
During Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s Senate hearing, he was asked about some of the fake news on his platform. His response was that “overall” it isn’t an issue and it’s not something Facebook is focused on fixing.
The CEO only cares about the amount of people using Facebook, regardless if they are using it in a positive or negative manner.
If you’re not a user of Facebook, here are some statistics that prove there is a huge problem with fake news on the platform:
Facebook users consume the equivalent of 22 articles from publishers and businesses that they do not trust per week.
Mark Zuckerberg’s statement that Facebook isn’t focused on the fake news problem is especially problematic because he also owns WhatsApp , which has hundreds of millions of users. This means he is choosing to ignore an issue that affects many people around the world, but only cares about solving it for Facebook .
