Essay Example on Is fake news entertainment or harmful?

Have you ever thought that the surge of fake news might have some influence on politic election s results The radio television internet printing cell phones etc The appearance of each of these mass media has been revolutionizing the way that societies learn live and organize Nowadays society communicates more and the technology has opened new avenues making the citizens from all over the world access to more diverse information and to play an essential role in its development by becoming the producers of their content Throughout the facts of what is fake and what is real fake news can be entertainment and harmful to people's opinion The question then becomes whether the presence of the internet has not only helped the widespread of fake news but also it has contributed on the spread of different points of views pushing the new generations to encourage literacy habits to be critical consumers of news Today s teens have access to news and related information via numerous mediums such as television radio internet newspapers magazines books etc 

As the newest of these mediums the internet has become an increasingly alluring and accessible information resource Spratt H E Agosto D E 2017 In this environment new forms of relationship are emerging with public opinion and media The traditional ways of journalism are losing weight in the face of the rise of new communication channels such as personal blogs YouTube WhatsApp Facebook Snapchat or Twitter For example a mere tweet can mobilize masses and provoke incredible results that old mass media wouldn't have created before All these new sources have increased the widespread of news and democratized its consumption globally It is becoming increasingly possible for fake news to spread quickly without any system of checks and balances Many teens and adults are encountering misinformation and fake news on a daily basis via social media and the internet without being aware that the information they find is misleading or wrong Spratt H E Agosto D E 2017 It is true that people do not necessarily need to look for fake news to find them All sorts of headlines jump into Facebook s feedback and whether they read the story or not these headlines may impact people's views At the same time believe it or not people have more control over their information environment in these days just by choosing who they want to follow 

But it is also true that fake news from social media is radically transforming people relies on several dubious assumptions about individuals the internet and people's behavior on the internet USCINSKI J E 2017 There are obvious benefits associated with instantaneous access to information The dissemination of information allows ideas to be share and for merely inaccessible regions to be connected it makes choices available and provides a platform for many points of view Burkhardt J M 2017 People from all cultures ages education levels religion political perspectives use social media to share information but since social media contains a significant diversity of points of view it can be an especially problematic venue for communication and discussion Giving the tendency for like minded people to agree on a particular point and polarize to a more extreme position after discussing it with one another Douglas K M Chee Siang A Deravi F 2017 Also fake news creators can be highly skilled in writing stories that will appeal to personal emotions and beliefs starting with a grain of truth and building up fake stories that reinforce their suspicions worries or desires Spratt H E Agosto D E 2017 In another hand it is utmost importance to educate users to detect fake news so that they do not further propagate them Encouraging analytic thinking can be an excellent source to reduce people s reliance on false information By arming people with cognitive tools education might play an important role in determining the information s accuracy that people receive Meanwhile fake news is not new 

The concept of fake news can be scary but it's important to realize that it's not a new phenomenon and sharing the history of fake news with teens it could allow them to engage with it through a variety of mediums Spratt H E Agosto D E 2017 Moreover some of the criteria used to evaluate internet sources such as being skeptical asking questions looking at the quality of the source of information still apply in social media John s Hopkins Sheridan Libraries 2017 People should pay more attention to the overlooked slope of the communication listening And should be more interested in what people s see transmit and receive For example focusing on creating an interactive area in schools where new generations could share personal experiences with fake news that they have encountered in the past would be a good start Because social media is not news it is the conversation that people are having about news or the lack of it If society starts doing its jobs right the social conversation will change HAMM M 2017 Fake news is a phenomenon the impact that today's digitalized era is generating in the widespread of news has pushed the society to determine the legitimacy and utility of the information that is sharing It is utmost that people should be responsible for what it is sharing because people deserve to know the truth about what is happening around Also even though the solution to stop the spread of fake news would be challenging these can be ruled through collective responsible actions a literate society educated use of technology and even government regulations