Corona Crisis - Infodemic

We are not just facing a pandemic. We are facing an infodemic. In this I mean a rapid spread of misinformation on topics that influence the public in false beliefs. This can be both positive and negative, however the most important realisation is to acknowledge they are fake. Fake news is not by accident and is a deliberate piece of information intended to manipulate. There are websites that provide fake news articles as well as group chats that allow space for communities to shake fake news to spread awareness. Let us jump right into this and allow me to explain ways we can work together to identify fake news.

Pro Tip #1: EXIT PANIC MODE. Fake news articles are written to provoke. They play on our emotions being fear, anxiety, panic, worry etc. In a world that is quick paced and instant – our natural human emotions are relied upon for us to share these articles. Especially during a pandemic when we are stuck inside, one of the oddly reasonable things for our minds to do is panic. Our minds shut off critical thinking and sway to impulse the need of having to tell everyone what we just ‘learned’. How can we avoid this? Quickly google what we have seen. Is there information to follow? ?

Pro Tip #2: ASK. Ask your friend where they got this information from. Typically, fake news is spread by the ‘he said, she said’ example. These identify rumours – not accurate facts. Fake news articles usually have an authority example on their content. Check the brands website. If the news article is not shared on their website, then it is fake news. Fact checking organisations are also a great source to avoid fake news as they are an unbiased third party.

Pro Tip #3: BEWARE OF MEMES. The news style of sharing information via text on image is one of the most hazardous. It lacks context and sources – not allowing you to get the full story.?

Now we have established some ways in which we can ‘beat’ fake news, I am going to dissect the mainstream fake news story at the beginning of the pandemic: ‘5G CAUSED CORONAVIRUS’.

This all started from a French conspiracy website called ‘Les moutons enragés’. This loosely translates as ‘The rabid sheep’. The idea being Wuhan installed 5G towers before the virus outbreak, therefore, causing the disease. Two days later a German reporter interviewed a doctor regarding the 5G and coronavirus connection. It was published in the Belgian newspaper ‘Het Laatste Nieuws’ as was taken down within a few hours. By this time, the article had already spread to English- language platforms – predominantly Facebook and was going viral.

This is dangerous as some theorists were acting out and setting cell towers on fire causing harm to themselves and others within two months of the article being published. Fears were circulating that the cell towers could cause harm to public health and it was unclear as to if the platforms (Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook) could do anything to stop the madness.

Fake news in modern day society travels like lightening. This is dangerous and worrying. Not only because of the extremists that act out but because of the danger it invokes on the public’s psychology. Do I go on my phone because I might catch corona? Should I leave my house as I will be exposed to cell towers? Fake news encourages an evil propaganda that manipulates and can destroy people’s lives. We are constantly fed through our environment. In today’s society our environment is online and constantly repeated to us through our daily activities – like clockwork. Whether we get up in the morning and eat oats for breakfast instead of cereal is based on our influences. Reading or listening to fake news articles, especially without knowing, is like influencing your brain with poison. When the public is fragile, going through the midst of a pandemic, the last piece of information we should absorb is scary manipulative fake news. One of the main reasons the 5G/ Coronavirus news story went viral was because social media influencers amplified it. An idea to remember is that we must not credit social media influencers with qualifications because of their follower count. Its easy for all of us to fall into this trap. Influencers should take more responsibility of the content they share and should fact check.???

Fake news has been around since the beginning of journalism. Parties would spread fake news deliberately to persuade the public to move or think in a certain way. This is nothing new, yet we still fall for it every time which is why it’s vital to train ourselves to become ‘fake news detectives’ by following the tips I listed above.

Maybe the question is: why do we still fall for it? Surely in a world so lightening fast, information demanding, we should be consequently used to it. Well, I think that is the problem. This modern-day society is always in constant overload with information. We do not know who to believe or why we should believe them. An important question to ask yourself when reading articles: Does this reflect reality? To the typical adult at a full-time job, most fake news articles require a second guess which is a good suggestion at their authenticity.

The topic of fake news carries endless article stories and endless aspects to research making it a topic that I have briefly touched upon. The aim was to increase awareness of fake news, touch on the affect (although I am sure you can feel an emotional impact leftover from some articles) and increase your knowledge on how to identify fake news in the future. We will never be fake news free as 1. We live in a liberal democracy meaning anyone can post anything online. 2. Fake news targets to manipulate and as we are human – we are prone to manipulation 3. We demand fast paced information which leads us to information overload, making us prone to be directed in certain ways.

So, on that note: I wish you good luck in the fight against fake news.?

Written by Isabella Estelle - 2020