The Spread And Recognition Of Fake News For Students

Table of Contents

Media and Fake News

Students are sharing fake news

Students and media literacy

Detection and Solutions

Citation

This study will investigate fake news and its recognition among college students. This study will focus on fake news spreading through the sharing of biased, inaccurate or otherwise unreliable “news” reports, articles, and other sources. Fake news does not exist in a vacuum. However, there are always new and changing platforms that spread fake news. Propaganda has always existed and the internet is the fastest medium for spreading fake information. There are many options for news. You can quickly report it and share it on social media. Today, there are many social media platforms being used, including sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The fake news epidemic is not limited to the younger generation. Uninformed youth lead to misinformed tomorrows. It is now easy to spread fake news via social media. Disinformation is easy to spread and convincingly convince audiences. The research sections are media and false news, students, sharing fake stories, effects on fake news, media literacy, detection, and solutions. Fake news has spread ever since the inventions of written language. These stories are spread largely by social media. Mitchell, Gottfried, Matsa. According to Mitchell, Gottfried, Matsa

People can find timely news information via social media because it is low-cost, accessible and easy to use (Shu 2017). Social media users spread fake news faster than real news. Fake news spreads faster when people share it on social media platforms. False stories could inspire fear, disgust and surprise as replies. But true stories were more likely to encourage trust, anticipation, sadness or joy. Fake News can be classified as: “Intentionally deceptive Information; large-scale Hoaxes; jokes taken to face-value, slanted Reporting of Real Facts; and Stories where the Truth is Contentious” (Emanuelson2018).

Students are more likely to share fake news than students. Pew Research Center researchers found that social media was the most used form of news consumption by the younger generation. 61% report that they receive political news via Facebook. This is an even higher percentage than other news sources (Little 2018).

Recent psychology and social research shows the importance of social media data in identifying fake news links. Confirmation bias shows that consumers are more likely to believe information they agree with than information they don’t. Echo Chamber Effect refers to the tendency to listen to people who share similar views. This results in social media communities and groupings (Shu 2017).

There are many motivations behind fake information. These can range from advertising revenue to political influence. Fake news has devastating effects on society. Fake News can affect the modern economy and politics. This is one of the biggest groups in society.

According to Waldman’s research, fake news has several main effects. A rise in fake news can lead to confusion and a reduction in awareness about issues. The media tends to make falsities appear as truths, which can lead to a decrease in the impact of the facts. Fake news is a source of extreme division and polarization that can lead (Waldman 2018). Fake news doesn’t just include politics. Brittany Seymour (assistant professor of oral healthcare policy, Harvard University) is Dr. She believes viral misinformation can threaten public health. Online search of health information is an increasing trend that has seen over 80% of the population turn to misinformation (Vogel 2017,).

One of the most severe measles outbreaks in more than a century occurred in 2014. Seymour claims that the “in part” of this outbreak can be attributed to parents who stumbled upon scary information online and decided not to vaccine their children (Vogel 2017 pg. 7). Due to the controversy over fluoridation, a 2014 study was published with serious limitations. The results showed that children’s IQs were affected by the chemical. Seymour claims that the article caused panic within a matter of hours. People began to use social media to express their concern. This article was covered across popular media, drawing thousands of people to it (Vogel 2017).

Students and Media LiteracyA Stanford University research in 2016 showed that Generation Z was lacking in media literacy. More than 7,804 middle school students participated in the study. 82% could not distinguish between real news stories and ads labeled “sponsored content” (Tomar 2018,). Tomar says that fake news is a result of students not being able to understand facts. Students and young adults who don’t critically examine sources are more likely to overlook biases (Tomar 2018,).

This inability is fueling fake news’ spread and propagation. Robert Byrd, University of Memphis Professor of Journalism, believes that media literacy should form part of a K-12 curriculum. This means that students must be taught early about how media works (Little (2018), pg. 21). According to Dogtiev 2018, 83% Americans aged 12-17 use Snapchat. News, advertising, public relation, film and television are all included. Classes or courses could teach curriculums (Little 2018, Thus, college students will be better able to spot fake news.

Bots, also called detection and solutionsalgorithms or bots, are more commonly used to manipulate data, disrupt social networks communication and gain attention (Burkhardt 2017). The technology is improving, but it still needs to be improved. The creation of new software to detect fake news is underway. Technology that can identify fake news will be used to create technology to bypass them (Burkhardt 2017, 2017).

Many technology companies and social networks have begun to consider making drastic changes to their platforms, in an effort to assist users in identifying factual and false information (Royster 2017). The government is beginning to recognize the importance of fighting fake news and several agencies have set up services to discredit false stories. They also plan to impose regulations on sites that publish misinformation and penalize them (Andorfer 2018,). Additionally, universities and colleges are teaching students how to be media literate. This allows them to differentiate between advertising and information, activism, journalism, propaganda, proper citations, and journalism (Tomar 2018).

With the help of social media and the internet, fake news is now being spread more than ever.

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