George Bernard Shaw once warned people to “Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance”; this quote holds relevance to today’s society of technology and the internet, wherein false information can be commonly found misinforming those that come across it. Misinformation results from this spread of false news, which has the power to influence a large population. Often, misinformation is able to rapidly spread through media before anyone can contest or challenge the reliability of the news. According to a Cornell University blog, “To compete with false information that has gone viral, the truth must also go viral, which is considerably less likely to happen. By the time the truth gets out, something else might already have …show more content…
Political parties are known for adding misinformation into stories, which involves taking the truth and adding in or leaving out specific information to gain support from misinformed citizens. In an article published by Anne Pluta from FiveThirtyEight, Pluta writes on presidential candidate supporters stating, “American citizens with incorrect information can be divided into two groups, the misinformed and the uninformed. The difference between the two is stark. Uninformed citizens don’t have any information at all, while those who are misinformed have information that conflicts with the best evidence and expert opinion… the most misinformed citizens tend to be the most confident in their views and are also the strongest partisans” (Pluta). People who are infected by misinformation hold stronger beliefs towards the misinformation, which bolsters the political parties’ power by misinforming people to believe propaganda created. The quote from the beginning of this paper, “Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance” perfectly matches the tone of the article. In politics, political organizations rely upon the ignorance of people in order to successfully transmit a misinformation epidemic that infects the unknowing citizens into avid political supporters because the misinformation is the only …show more content…
The misinformation spread could be limited through the removal of ads that are displayed on the fake news websites. These websites are “running the same types of ads as large media companies, misleading online publishers have given themselves a familiar look that readers may struggle to differentiate from traditional news sources” (Dave). The advertisements found within a fake news website and a credible one are similar because advertising companies want to increase profits by their ad traffic. The amount of traffic a website receives directly affects the amount of money the website and advertising company earn. Websites which distribute misinformation fabricate interesting stories to attract traffic and increase profits. The advertisement business has gone through increased pressure to clean up the number of fakes news websites that are sponsored with ads, which then reduces the amount misinformation people
Another reason why people, especially publishers, might find fake news appealing is from the amount of money they can earn from something that is not true. In the first article, it states, “When you click or share a story, the person or company that created the site gets money. This money comes from advertisers who pay sites based on the number of views their ads get. That’s the point of shocking or outrageous headlines: to get you to click,” (Lewis, 11). This means that, for every outrageous news story that is clicked on, whether it is real or fake, it gets a lot of money. Anyone can become rich from starting a fake news business, and that is what many find appealing about the business. All in all, whether it be the thrill of telling a story, or doing it for the money, there are always people who are interested in the fake news
Many websites are known for being radically one-sided in their news coverage. In “The Things People Say” Kolbert says that left-leaning readers know, for example, that if they go to the Huffington Post or to AlterNet they will find stories that support their view of the world. Right-leaning readers know to go to the Drudge Report or to Newsmax to find stories that fit their preconceptions. This issue is all throughout social media as well. On Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc. you will find this biased information. A lot of times, we click and read things that gravitate towards our thinking and shun the rest of the information that does not. In this sense we become secular to opinions that strengthen our own and disregard all
In his essay, “The Good, The Bad, and The Daily Show,” Jason Zinser explores the vices and virtues of so-called “fake” news programs. “Fake” news, as Zinser explains, are those programs that blend newsworthy events with comedy. By examining The Daily Show, Zinser reveals both positive and negative impacts that “fake” news could have on society. As a result, Zinser concludes that there are benefits as well as potential problems with “fake” news programs but insists that the true challenge is determining the net impact on society. The essay, which first appeared in The Daily Show and Philosophy: Moments of Zen and the Art of Fake News in 2007, challenges experts on both sides of the argument who either claim fake news is for entertainment only or that fake news is an acceptable source for information on current events. On one hand, Zinser uses expert testimonies to support his argument that the end result is a better informed public but on the other, he makes logical arguments enhanced by examples to illustrate the potential impacts “fake” news can have on its viewers and mainstream media.
In today's modern world, different types of mediums are used to get information across quickly. The days of waiting for three days or more for information are long gone. We can access news right from our fingertips! We’re able to view videos to tell us what’s happening, look at photos, or read pieces of text. However, sometimes the information we’re getting can be bias or taken out of context. And sometimes, twisting someone's words to get your point across can have nasty consequences.
In the recent years of the 21st century, the human race has come upon a golden age of communication, where we have seen the rise of the internet’s power to inform and fuel massive movements. While this is true, on the other side of the monitor, Humanity struggles to overcome its base instincts. “The Backfire Effect”, written by David McRaney, is a reflection of people’s current state on their own thoughts in comparison to other opinions. This titular mechanism, as described by the author, negates this ease of access to vital information (possibly an idea or fact contradictory to our own views) due to our mind protecting core beliefs. As we can see, this is stifling to the goal of a world where technology and reason is king, a world we all
Many people have no interest in current events in the world or even their own country, and are more concerned about matters that are more trivial, and even if they were to pay a deal of attention, common news sources are often biased and don’t release information that would hurt a certain cause. It is in this way that the citizens are kept igno...
”All newspapers had small circulations and most were financed by political groups as a means to express particular opinions and criticize their opponents”(Braunwarth Chp10.2.1). While modern day the availability of news is limitless, having un biased and accurate information is limited. “In the early twentieth century many newspapers….The so-called “muckrakers” dug up stories about government corruption, which was at an all-time high in the United States. In their zeal to expose, newspapers often published stories based on faulty information”(Braunwarth Chp10.2.5). False news accompanied by slander is still a problem in modern times and the control is in the hands of political parties. The control over the media and current utilization causes harm to a democratic country, the citizens are shown false information not to educate them but rather, persuade them to vote in favor of the medias benefactor by only showing points they want observed. “the media do not so much influence what people think as what they think about.” By gatekeeping and framing, the media help determine which policies the public thinks are important” (Braunwarth Chp10.7.3). The public has an option on where they become educated to vote but many of those resources are all owned by four
It can take much research and fact-checking to determine what the facts are. It's not easy to sort out what is real and what is not. Being fully informed on every important issue is impossible; all one can do is their best with the time, resources, and inclinations they have.
As people look back at history they will see that little posts on Facebook and Twitter can be all lies. It’s not hard to make a post, all you have to do is create something that will draw people's attention. Even if you have to smudge the truth a little. When people find something on the internet they automatically think that it’s true, but in reality news stations sometimes have to “spice” up stories to make people watch their station. This is how the truth is sometimes expendable because the little change of words in a quote could change how people view the story. This is why people need to check who they are watching and shouldn’t take every word said is true unless heard by multiple reliable sources. As we as human beings move on, people need to remember that everything on the internet, new, and social media is true. If you want to know if the piece of information is true look it up, if it is there should be a couple reliable sources that have almost identical information. If you can’t find the same information then it is obviously fake. To help create a better democracy always remember to double check your sources and always check the world around you, because you never know what is true or
Another rival hypothesis is that party identification is constructed solely by ideological affinity. Voters do tend to side with a political party that shares their same views and interests. However, in reality, there aren’t many voters who are actually willing to research the public policies candidates pursue. It takes too much time and effort to investigate such matters. Not many people will readily dig through information about a party’s platform, especially if it is lengthy or hard to understand. Consequently, this lack of inaction is one reason for the lack of political knowledge in Americans
Granted, in the present day world, information is easily available to anyone who wants it. Smart phones and computers are able to search through infinite sources to find what they are programed to do. Information is available at people’s fingertips to know the latest news in the world. Although information can be retrieved quickly and plentifully by technology, this information is not always accurate. Technology is unable to be programmed to find truthful sources, or find facts that have any truth at all. Technology looks for any and all information that is
Governments use propaganda to influence the public and effectively spread their own stance on a matter. This dependence on propaganda to change public opinion leads to the creation of sensationalized and falsified information to build a compelling argument. By attempting to influence the opinions the public, the government attempts to create a homogeneous society that lacks individual thinkers. Government sponsored propaganda has an immense influence on the opinions of the public, due to its misleading nature, its impact on the mentalities of citizens, and the delibracy involved in its creation.
The introduction of the internet to modern society has brought about a new age of information relation. Since there is no longer a need to wait until the next print day, news from all over the world is available at a person’s fingertips within hours or even minutes of the event. With this advent of such easily accessible information, new problems for the news media have also arisen. Aside from potentially losing good economic standing because newspapers are no longer being purchased in the quantities they used to be, the credibility of the information itself is also put into question. No one would argue that credibility of news sources is unimportant, but there is a discrepancy in what takes precedence; economy and speed or getting the information out correctly at the first publishing by taking the time to make sure all facts are checked. The importance of having a system of checks on all information submitted is paramount. People trust what they read and believe it to be so without always questioning. If all information were to not be checked thoroughly, there would be instances where people read an article only for information included to be wrong and they go on believing such information. This can be very dangerous as misinformed people make misinformed decisions. With an increase in errors being made by citizen bloggers and even major publications, many are worried that journalistic ethics and credibility in the news media are being sacrificed in order to maintain swiftness in the news circuit and to retain personal profits. Though getting information to the masses quickly is a major part of the media’s importance, this should not mean that the credibility of that information being presented should be sacrificed for it...
Humans, are gullible by nature, taking in what they think would make them feel or do good and so, through proper use of this weakness, politicians could gain a vantage point of how to lay down their platforms to gain the good side of the people. An example of this would be American 2016 Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's view on gun laws, and the NRA's response to it. By using the people's fear and reliance on guns, these political propagandas reached out to the public, targeting their own feelings about these gun laws for their own advantages. Furthermore, drama also comes in handy. If you're a victim, you shall be favored.
With the resources and advances in technology that people have today, information can be sent, received, and sent again instantly with just the push of a button. As Loertscher says, getting rid of fake news “is no simple task anymore, since so many people seem to believe whatever they read on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites (44).” The false news is being pushed out into the open and posted for everyone to read, and by that time, it is pushed somewhere else for even more people to read and share. The sharing is an endless cycle and is hard to disrupt. Even if an article which presents inaccurate information is debunked, the damage to the people’s mindsets and views has already been done. There is no reversing that.