Fake News on Social Media Writing Assignment

Fake News on Social Media
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Fake News on Social Media
Today’s world is characterized by social media that bring with themselves several phenomena. One such phenomenon is fake news. Allcott and Gentzkow (2017) define fake news as “news articles that are intentionally and verifiably false, and could mislead readers.”(p.213). When such news articles are shared on social media platforms, they become “fake news on social media” In their article, Shu, Sliva, Wang, Tang, and Liu (2017) note that the definition of fake news has two include two features. First, it has to include false details that can be verified. Second, it is created with the malicious intention of misleading readers.
Given that 62 % of American adults rely on news from social media (Joyce, 2016), this can be problematic as the majority of the public can be deceived on important matters. Teenagers also depend on social media for news (Marchi, 2012). While Fake News on Social Media is attributed to the 2016 election, its prevalence goes beyond the political arena. According to Statista (n.d.) crime stories also make up some of the hoaxes that infiltrate social media. In 2016, one tweet about Katy Perry moving to Brighton & Hove in England sent locals in the area into a frenzy (Joyce, 2016). It is evident that fake news on social media also happens in other countries other than the US.
What is the origin of Fake News on Social Media? According to Allcott and Gentzkow (2017), fake news originates from several websites that have been set up specifically to publish fabricated and misleading information. The authors inform that the names of the websites are often similar to those of legitimate news organization. An example is denverguardian.com. Some of these websites such as endingthefed.com mix factual information with fake ones. Therefore, when false news published on these websites is shared on social networks, it becomes “Fake News on Social Media”. One major motivator for the creation of these fake stories is pecuniary, where owners of the websites derive revenue from the social media traffic. Another motivation is ideological, where the perpetrators of fake news seek to advocate for political candidates they favor (Allcott & Gentzkow, 2017).
Social media contain malicious accounts that perpetuate the spreading of fake news. According to Shu, Sliva, Wang, Tang, and Liu (2017), in some cases, these accounts are not controlled by humans. The authors inform that the low cost associated with creating social media accounts has encouraged social bots, trolls, and cyborg users to access and post on social media platforms. Social bots, which refer to accounts controlled by computer algorithms, can interact with humans and can manipulate and spread fake news on social media (Shu, Sliva, Wang, Tang, & Liu, 2017). In the 2016 presidential election, about 19 million social bot accounts tweeted in support of Clinton or Trump. Therefore, these malicious accounts are powerful sources that proliferate fake news on social media. `
A key aspect that characterizes fake news on social media is the echo chamber effect (Shu, Sliva, Wang, Tang, & Liu, 2017). There is an echo chamber eff...