Fake News Phenomenon
 

I've been kind of fascinated by the fake news stuff that has come to light through this election cycle and how it affects how people make decisions and think about the world.

I didn't know if this was the right section for it, but I decided to make this thread after reading this story:

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-w...iracy-theories

There have literally been hundreds of these types of stories where people prefer to believe fake clickbait type "news" instead of fact checking. Simply because it fits their narrative.

Here's a story about a guy who makes fake news and why he does it:

http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechc...in-the-suburbs

So, if this is going to be an ongoing thing, and people now seem to get most of their news from Facebook and twitter, how do you combat all the misinformation that is out there...or how do you break the internet echo chamber?

I thought this might be a neat discussion to have.

People shouldn't take what they hear from social media and accept it blindly. Equal to blame as the spreaders of fake news are the people who believe it just because its the news.

The reason people fall for conspiracy theories is that they all (the good ones, anyway) are based around one nugget of truth. The nugget of truth for this pizza conspiracy is that the leaked emails did contain mentions of the word "pizza", which one could, possibly, interpret as a code word for something sneaky.

why do you think people love Fox News so much :lol:

The internet will make Florida Man of us all.

The best, and honestly the only, way to combat this sort of thing is:
http://misszoot.com/wp-content/uploa...tvigilance.png

And when someone makes a claim that seems fishy, or just too good to be true, be sure to ask:
http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocia...ion-needed.jpg

I really think that people are too lazy to fact check, personally. That and they prefer to believe things that fit their narrative. I mean, who doesn't want some kind of confirmation that what they think is right? Problem is, the internet makes it super easy for gullible people to pick and choose their facts.

I also think people tend to believe their social media friends over the big bad mainstream media so even if every legit news source out their says a fake news story is fake, people just think its a cover up conspiracy or that the media is protecting the subject.

How do you fight that? Are we doomed to live in a world where people make worl impacting decisions based on click bait?

Sadly, yes.
I mean, think of how long it took people to accept Heliocentrism, or that the world was round.

Hell, we've still got people who don't believe people have been to the Moon.

Confirmation bias.

And Plastron, you shut your damn mouth! The lizard people get angry when we insist we've been to the moon... :tshifty:

I hear the Flat-Earther movement is making a comeback, actually! Any of you guys going to join the trend?

Remember when Neil deGrasse Tyson blasted BoB with that rap? Good times. :tcool:

We live in the social media era, so no wonder such fake news have been on the rise in the last few years. People taking random tweets seriously and stuff like that.

Clickbait works, I'm afraid. And while Buzzfeed is notorious for that, it's sad how reputable media outlets resort to that tactic as well.

As for conspiracy theories, they come up because, sometimes a certain amount of people doesn't believe the facts and thus try to find different ones. All of them end up getting to a ridiculous level. See 9/11 conspiracy theories. "Jet fuel can't melt steam beams~!" and so on.

The lizard people are watching you, Prowler.

... And they are very, very unhappy with you.

Who are these lizard people and what is their main purpose? hell where do they come from? I thought the Jews and the Illuminati were behind everything, but turns out there's someone above them?!

The whole Fake News thing is getting out of hand.
http://money.cnn.com/2016/12/05/medi...ate/index.html

I talked to Kubrick yesterday and he confirmed that the moon-landing, indeed, is a hoax

And don't forget the Flat Earth Society.

The conspiracy is REAL!!1!11!!! Look at the signs sheeple and you will see!

I love these little talks.

I've been having fun as well. :P

I find the people who buy into phoney information less interesting than the ones who make it up. Whenever I used to get one of those chain emails about necrotic spider bites, snap frozen ocean waves, or bizarre essays attributed to Bill Cosby, I’d wonder who wrote them, and what on Earth they got out of it? Do they get off fooling people or are they some weird type of half-assed anarchists or something? Or do they like to look smart – a lot of those emails had real, undoctored photos in them, but the descriptions were completely fabricated. And why did they like Comic Sans so much?

It's the official font of the mad.

Guys c'mon! It's because fake news is almost always more interesting that the real tbing. Watch the regular news for a week, and you'll see what I mean. The fake stories are much more intriguing.

I agree. I find Waterford whispers to be a fun fake news website to read for that same reason.

I think satire is fine and funny news too....its when fake news is presented as the truth and gullible folks believe it is when it becomes a problem.

I kinda feel like there are more gullible people than people who ate smart enough to know how to spot fake stuff.

What gave it away? :trazz:

It's only become a significant problem recently after the election results didn't favor the establishment, and with the mainstream media losing their credibility, they're losing their audience with alternative/independent news sources such as Drudgereport.com, dailycaller.com, etc. are competing with more known corporate-run news sources like msnbc.com, nbcnews.com in terms of website views.

https://theintercept.com/2016/11/26/...y-shady-group/

http://nypost.com/2016/12/04/the-war...ing-real-news/


The irony...

I think what bugs me most about it is that many of the same people who eagerly believe this fake news garbage probably also believe, thanks to the rantings of politicians and public figures, that the media is evil and can't be trusted. :roll: Gosh no, legit news sources (biases aside) are bad, but hey, here's a wacky conspiracy, lets go shoot up a restaurant!

While I totally support freedom of speech, it's to the point that it sometimes seems that there should maybe be a limit against abusing it. Purposely provoking and fear mongering need penalties... People who want power know all too well that many can be controlled through fear and I despise people who use that.


The further we get into this century the more I come to despise this species. Not that stupidity doesn't predate the 21st century by a long shot. I used to joke that humanity has peaked and minds are starting to rot, but hell, maybe there's some truth to it. *sigh* One day humanity will finally choke on it's hypocrisy and the rest of the planet will finally get some relief.

Oh you sweet summer child...

Fake news is only a recent problem, because before...in ye olden teims, we just up and called it either Lying or Being Wrong.

Let me tell you about a little thing called "yellow journalism".

This is its conspiracy theorist brother.

No no no, don't you see?
There's no such thing as American History prior to 1980.

You are four years off from making a great literary joke. Try a little harder next time, mkay?

Look, I don't have time for your "maths" I'm still at war with East Asia.
I have always been at war with East Asia.

You just want their opium, tea, and silk. You damned Colonial.

I don't think the Russians are behind fake news. I my OP you'll see quoted a story about a guy who makes fake news. He's from California. He makes $40,000 a month on average from ad revenue...by baiting ignorant people with "red meat" as he calls it.

Another story I saw had a bunch of teenagers in Eastern Europe doing the same thing for the same reason.

The sad thing is that most Americans are so ignorant and naive that the can't really tell what is real and what isn't.

Ignorant people believe that politicians are running a human traffic ring out of a pizza place....and go shoot it up...because some dumb sh!t on 4chan put a fake news story out for the lulz and some conspiracy loving radio host picked up the bone and ran. This is America, folks.

Ignorant people are gonna be our downfall.

If you're stupid enough to believe it, you deserve it.

Don't speak about our grandparents that way. They're still getting over the fact that Ronald Reagan is dead.

Only problem is that innocent bystanders tend to pay for it when it goes too far. :ohwell:

Ah the 80s. The height of the right wing baby boomers all over the West.

A shame a big part of the right-wing has such a hard on for neo-liberalism.

It doesn't bother any of you that you're combating fake news with propaganda?

And the machine continues to churn, churn churn...

The less you know, I suppose. Your anger is worth sooooo much.