Role of media & social networks

KEY POINTS

·        Social media has become an integral part of our lives, and is a great resource to stay in touch, share articles and put out your views.

·        Fake news is a type of yellow journalism comprises deliberate misinformation spread via traditional print and broadcast media or online social media.

Categories of fake news

·        Political/ideological.

·        Money-based schemes (infect your system with malware).

·        Maligning person’s or organisation’s reputation.

Menace of Fake news

·        Incite violence among people.

·        Influence elections.

·        Enhance casteism, regionalism.

·        Lowering peoples’ confidence on government’s credible activities.

·        Illiterate the literates’ by misinformation.

·        Degrade one’s self-dignity by maligning.

·        Gain financially by selling any product through fake advertisement.

·        Loss of personal data by clicking an eye-catchy picture.

Solution

·        Common sense of not accepting everything, written online as a truth is the immediate necessity.

·        Awareness campaign should be conducted to convey the menace of fake news in National security and Society unrest.

·        A positive approach of posting the real information about the fake news would curtail the spread of such news in future.

·        Integration of scientific community with the government to find innovative ways to identify and curtail fake news and its spread.