Fake News - Impact On Society

What is Fake News?

Fake news refers to misinformation, disinformation or misinformation which is spread through word of mouth and traditional media and more recently through digital forms of communication such as edited videos, memes, unverified advertisements and social media propagated rumours. Fake news has been around as long as human civilisation, but it has been turbo-charged by digital technology and the transformation of the global media landscape.

 Impact of fake news on society can be significant. False information can influence the way people think and feel, which can have a major impact on their decisions and lives. fake news is also a risk for online security and privacy, as it can make it easy for cyber criminals to gain access to our data or spy on us.

One of the ways that fake news can have an impact on our world view is by shaping the way we see the world. For example, if people believe that fake news is causing some sort of national security issue, they may be more likely to take steps to correct or prevent such problems. Additionally, people who rely on fake news may be more likely to neglect their own safety and security when it comes to their online activities.

One of the main concerns of fake news stories is that they can polarise society, particularly during political events.  Fake news spread through social media has become a serious problem, with the potential of it resulting in mob violence or even riots. Spread of fake news has been a grave problem in India, in terms of inciting public unrest leading to social tension in the events of even a small incident involving two or more communities. Instances have taken place where a minor argument led to major clashes, thanks to the news made “viral” among the WhatsApp users.

Fake news stories can not only polarise different groups within a nation but also affect international relations. At the same time, fake news campaigns can be effectively used to spread unrest in rival countries. Several such campaigns are uncovered by the government in India where thousands of social media handles from Pakistan were part of actively spreading fake and false propaganda on issues like CAA and Kashmir. Misinformation and disinformation related to Kashmir is widely prevalent. There have been multiple instances of pictures from the Syrian and the Iraqi civil wars being passed off as from the Kashmir conflict with the intention of fuelling unrest and backing insurgencies.

Fake scandals often seem more believable than the truth and have led to racism, harassment, intimidation and damage to reputation. This has also led to destruction of trust in media. Fake news affects free speech and informed choices of the subjects of the country, leading to the hijacking of democracy.

Combating fake news is a growing narrative of the technology platforms like Facebook, Google, the news media, the government and an informed citizenry. Ultimately, we must find a way to control the production of fake news and increase quality outputs to maintain the functioning of a society built on free choice.

                                                                                                                                  -Supriya Dudi