Says Who? Fake News on Social Media

Fake news is what we know as…

• Stories that are deliberately inaccurate.

• Stories with some truth but generally inaccurate.

• Both.

Answer explanation

It’s actually both! Sometimes, news sources don’t check all their facts or exaggerate to make a point.

Misinformation and disinformation...

• are the same thing.

• misinformation is deliberate fake stories and disinformation not deliberate.

• disinformation is deliberate fake stories and misinformation not deliberate.

Answer explanation

Misinformation is simply false information, it does not have to be intentional.

Disinformation is misinformation that is spread intentionally.

Fake news...

• is a new phenomenon due to the rise of social media.

• is an old-age phenomenon.

Answer explanation

Fun fact: the term “fake news” was actually used in the 19th century. But the internet and social media have enabled new ways to publish, share and consume news and information, with relatively little regulation.

Research has shown that on Twitter...

• Real news spreads more rapidly than fake news.

• Fake news spreads more rapidly than real news.

• Bots are the primary culprit in spreading fake news.

Answer explanation

Fake news spreads more rapidly than real news; not because of bots, but due to people retweeting!

People can easily fall for fake news because…

• There is no need to fact-check to create content.

• We have a higher attention span.

• Fake news stories appeal to our emotions.

• There is a growing trust on the media and the government.

Answer explanation

Nowadays there is a lower attention span and the people’s trust on the media and the government has decreased, which leads more people to believe fake news.

Generally, fake news has three characteristics:

• Factually inaccurate, optimized for sharing, exploiting our biases or prejudices.

• Factually accurate, impolite, challenging our beliefs.

• Not optimized for sharing, factually inaccurate, rejected by powerful people.

Answer explanation

Fake news is factually inaccurate, optimized for sharing, and exploits our biases or prejudices.

Fake news appears in the form of…

• Clickbait.

• Satire.

• Propaganda.

• Imposter content.

• Poor quality journalism.

Answer explanation

Satire is not fake news, because it does not strive to deceive by pretending to be credible: satire plays with its audience; fake news manipulates its audience.