Fake news: a viral phenomenon
In the midst of the media river of fake news, reason is the best defense.
Information does not just come, it is everywhere. It flows through networks and internet infrastructure around the globe. It is not here, nor there, it is delocalized. This feature is called ubiquity — a word from medieval Latin, meaning “everywhere”. The concept was used by Christian theologians to name an attribute that would be proper to God: to be everywhere at the same time. For them, only God would be ubiquitous. Now, due to the technical possibilities of the global network, information is now considered ubiquitous, neither it nor the user have to be in a particular place. The only thing a person needs to access the virtual world is a smart electronic device with data.
More than five billion users of the world wide web interact in cyberspace, share information, investigate, communicate and connect, do business, look for forms of entertainment, get information and also get misinformed. The benefits of the digital world are innumerable, but the Internet has also become the preferred medium for the dissemination — viralization — of false news.
There is an affirmation that says: “a lie repeated a thousand times becomes true”. This expression, which is attributed to Paul Joseph Goebbels (1897–1947) — a German politician who was minister for public enlightenment and propaganda during the government of Adolf Hitler — , refers to the use that began to be given to false information as an effective instrument of propaganda, in a social environment where, by the time of the Second World War, thanks to the radio and the press, access to information was becoming more widespread.
The intentional use of false or altered information to influence public opinion, generate feelings of indignation and rejection has become a double-edged sword within our democratic societies. This phenomenon, known as post-truth, is permanently evidenced through the use of fake news with the aim of influencing public opinion, discrediting a person or institution, generating outrage, etc. Fake news grows and multiplies because they appear to be credible, they can even coincide with the ideas that many people have about life, politics and reality.
It is worth asking why false information is so effective in our societies? Those who design fake news know how effective this type of information is on the web. In addition, they know the audience they are targeting and in which the fake news can go viral. Creating confusion can be too profitable for many individuals and institutions on the planet. When the content of false news coincides with the interests of people, there is a possibility that they will begin to take it as something true, because, in its structure, this type of information gives the impression of being plausible –a connotation typical of fallacies–, that is, it seems true, but it is not.
Have you ever imagined that you could be indoctrinated with your own ideas? Influencing a person, or a group of people, from their own ideas is a possibility that is facilitated by the Internet. Preventing users from accessing new information that contradicts what they think is possible. The Internet is designed to individualize people with specialized algorithms that allow them to be classified according to their tastes, thoughts, political and religious orientation, socio-economic condition, tendencies and shortcomings. In the network universe, each user has a personal digital bubble where they feel in their own space, here, nothing and no one contradicts or refutes what they think and feel. All the information you receive is in line with your own ideas.
Ultimately, a fake news creator just needs to take advantage of a trigger to influence and go viral on the networks. When there are social situations that generate tension, fear or fear — as in the case of the Covid-19 pandemic, elections of rulers, wars, economic crises, etc. — people tend to be more influenced by the fake news. Through social networks, users increase interactions and share news and messages automatically and thoughtlessly. The fact that information seems interesting or is well written does not mean that it is true. However, the possibility of obtaining likes, followers and views on the networks makes many people jump into the river of media noise.
The amount of information available in the digital world is enormous. Furthermore, it is fluid and changes faster than our existential rhythms. However, the excess of information does not make us more informed people, on the contrary, there is a risk of becoming intoxicated or infoxified by refusing to take a critical stance in the face of the permanent stimuli of social networks and the media. When you browse digital networks with an uncritical stance, you end up giving credibility to comments, memes, and fake news.
The use of fake news as a propaganda mechanism is not something new. It is a matter that is part of human communication. This is why it is important to combat them. We must avoid following the game of this type of information, which causes so much damage in social environments. Those who intentionally disseminate false content are clear that, regardless of the falsity of what they say, something remains of the slander, some damage is done. As stated in a popular saying of Latin origin: “slander, something remains” (Audacter calumniare, semper aliquid haeret).
To defend yourself against fake news and fallacious arguments, it is necessary to develop a critical sense, review different sources of information, improve the cultural level, use common sense and accompany our presence in the digital world with an ethical and prudent posture. Let’s not forget that, in times of fake news, reason is the best defense.
