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Fake News - a Manufactured Deception, Distortion and Disinformation Is the New Challenge to Digital Literacy Dr Neha Pandey1 ABSTRACT

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Fake News - a Manufactured Deception, Distortion and Disinformation Is the New Challenge to Digital Literacy Dr Neha Pandey1 ABSTRACT Journal of Content, Community & Communication Amity School of Communication Vol. 8 Year 4, December - 2018 [ISSN: 2395-7514 (Print)] Amity University, Madhya Pradesh [ISSN: 2456-9011 (Online)] Fake news - a manufactured deception, distortion and disinformation is the new challenge to digital literacy Dr Neha Pandey1 ABSTRACT In an era of information age, the defining variable of the age i.e. information is facing a tsunami in the form of fake news. Tsunami because it came all of a sudden, created havoc and is gargantuan in proportion. Facts have become a misnomer and reality an imagination. Confusion and chaos are the hurdle blocks for the one who wants to navigate through the digital landscape. The line between facts and fictions had been trounced. What is all the more alarming is that the fake-news tsunami is not a natural incidence but a whole business which blooms and grows on fabricated content and has become the new currency of globalized digitalization. Study on the spread of fake information, through social media and online networks, has become a significant object of scholarly research. Estimates suggest some fake news sites receive 50%-80% of their traffic via Facebook alone. This paper is a sincere attempt to map fake news into digital landscape by analysing its entry, varieties and survival. It also explores the various possibilities of duping users through a combination of intention and software algorithms. In the end, the researcher analyses how digital literacy and willingness on part of users can prove as a remedy in combating the fake news virus. If anything good has come from the recent furore over fake news and its menace, it is that fake news has highlighted the importance of making sure that the information one consumes and, especially, the information one shares is credible. It is like anti-virus potion which is created automatically. Or in simpler terms, it is like cultivating the habit to consume healthy, hygienic and balanced diet and toning the cognitive immune system. Keywords: Fake news, digital literacy, post-truth, Facebook, US elections, artificial intelligence. Fake news - a manufactured deception, distortion have become comfy avenues for politicians to and disinformation is the new challenge to spread misinformation, rumour, falsehood and digital literacy lies. In an era of information age, the defining variable Research Support of the age i.e. information is facing a tsunami in Study on the spread of fake information, through the form of fake news. Tsunami because it came social media and online networks, has become a all of a sudden, created havoc and is gargantuan significant object of scholarly research. Scholars in proportion. have theorized that fake news can exercise a Facts have become a misnomer and reality an significant degree of influence on political imagination. Confusion and chaos are the hurdle campaigns and discussions. Although extensive blocks for the one who wants to navigate through research exists on political misinformation, there the digital landscape. The line between facts and is some contest about the extent to which fake fictions had been trounced. What is all the more news influences public opinion, including social alarming is that the fake-news tsunami is not a media “echo chambers” and “filter bubbles”. natural incidence but a whole business which (Roozenbeek, Linden, 2018) blooms and grows on fabricated content and has This provides scope for further research on the become the new currency of globalized intent and content of fake news and establishing digitalization. relations between them. At present, deliberate We read without understanding and believe and verifiably false and misleading articles have without introspecting. The creative spirit of contributed to an increasingly uncertain digital human cognition is drugged and slowly bruising climate. the most important function of the attribute The barriers to entry for producing such content which makes us human, a thinking being. have dropped precipitously due to the ascend of Fake news has found its powerful and protective the interne users, given how easy it is to set up a abode in Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp which website or social media page and monetize it through advertising. This has led to the 1 Assistant Professor, Department of Journalism proliferation of fake news among news media and Mass Communication, Banaras Hindu outlets in general. University, Varanasi -221005 DOI: 10.31620/JCCC.12.18/04 15| There is also an increased reliance of individuals and undermine democratic processes. (Timberg, on social media as a platform to access the news. 2016). Concerned with such grave issues, This has been confirmed in a study by the Pew governments need to gear up to prevent fake Research Centre which reported that 62% of US news from distorting their political, social and adults now cite social media sites as one of their cultural landscapes. news sources’.(Shearer, Gottfried, 2017) Historical milieu Competitive Damage: This development has The concept of ‘fake’ news stories is nothing new caused traditional media outlets to embrace and has been around for centuries in the form of stories that are trending on social media, without propaganda, yellow journalism, conspiracy essentially having a clearly defined policy for theories, or hoaxes; thus spreading verifying the content before it is broadcasted. This disinformation. has resulted in an uptick in newsreaders’ exposure to fake news. At the same time, it has Just one week after the 2016 presidential election, also put a question mark on the reliance level of when tens of millions of Hillary supporters were these traditional media among users. still in absolute shock that Donald Trump actually beat her — and while many Trump supporters Facebook Links were in a similar state of surprise— the term There is no denying the fact that fake news stories “fake news” became the talk of the town and can be, and for a long time have been, transmitted quickly turned into one of the most loaded and through conventional media outlets, such as print controversial labels in America. It was an issue and radio broadcasting, social media is facilitating that got more polarizing, complex, deeper and their dissemination and profitability like never darker. before. Estimates suggest some fake news sites The most interesting observation of the times was receive 50%-80% of their traffic via Facebook that it was not the ordinary right-wing news sites alone. (Vezér, 2017) highlighting the reasons why Hillary was wrong Advertisement Traffic for the job, or documenting her history of corruption and scandals. It was supposed “fake Engagement has become a bigger player than news” articles that were posted on little-known factual information. The motivations for websites and then spread virally through publishing fake news range from systematically Facebook by people sharing them. People must misinforming for political or other reasons to have been duped into not trusting or disliking generating advertising revenues. Indeed, as social Hillary Clinton because they read lies about her media users engage with fake news stories, fake on Facebook, the favorite book of the digital- news publishers collect revenues from advertisers generation. (Dice, 2017) who pay fees in proportion to website traffic. Social media networks are fertile grounds for fake Alarming Bell which is still Ringing news because their revenue models reward The Washington Post led the charge and sounded content engagement rather than content quality. the alarm with a headline reading, “Facebook (Hubbard, 2017) fake-news writer: ‘I think Donald Trump is in the Fake news and chaos White House because of me.” (Dewet, 2016) An avalanche of accusations followed, causing a Fake news creates confusion, which can have moral panic in the mainstream media as they pernicious effects. The notorious “pizzagate” fake tried to warn the world about this newly news story, which led a would-bevigilante to discovered ‘danger.’ Rolling Stone magazine bring a gun into a Washington, DC pizza immediately echoed this new battle cry with the restaurant and open fire, is only one example of headline, “How a Fake Newsman Accidentally the danger fake news can pose to the public. Helped Trump Win the White House.” (Fisher, Cox, Hermann, 2016) (Hedegaard, 2016) According to survey data from the Pew Research A new scandal erupted claiming the Russians Center, nearly two-thirds of Americans say that were behind the new fake news phenomenon as fake news has caused them a great deal of part of a plot to install Trump as their “puppet confusion, and just under one-quarter have president.” The Washington Post, which was shared a made-up news story. ( dedicated to stopping Donald Trump from Mitchell, Barthel, Holcomb, 2016) becoming president, came out with an article, Fake news may also have deleterious political “Russian Propaganda Effort Helped Spread ‘Fake consequences, as fabricated stories can be News’ During Election, Experts Say,” which designed with the intent to influence elections claimed that the fake news stories about Hillary 16| Clinton were part of a dis-information operation HOW and WHY – Decoding Fake News Process launched by the Russians in order to help Donald The Washington Post pointed out a few of the most Trump win. (Timberg, 2016) popular (actual) fake news articles, and named It has been observed and reported that the top the man behind them — Paul Horner, a 38-year- fabricated US presidential election stories old Internet entrepreneur who ran CNN.com.de, generated more engagement (i.e. shares, reactions CBSnews.com.co, NBC.com.co, ABCnews.com.co, or comments) on Facebook than did the top and other fake news websites which were election stories in mainstream outlets, including designed to look like actual news sites and used the New York Times, Washington Post, similar URLs. (Dice 2017) Huffington Post and NBC News. It was an Most fake news and satire websites simply want uncontrolled influx and an unprecedented kind of to make money from the web traffic their articles assault by imposters masquerading as reporters bring to the sites.
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