The Age of Disinformation

+

Preceding

Do Governments and Nations Lie?

Facts: Why they matter and how to check them

Consequences of our digital environment

++

Additional reading

1. A busy 2017 #3 Fake, gossip and real news
2. To protect our democratic system #1 Danger of fake and malicious social media accounts
3. Here is the truth or the lie
4. Defeating populism in the EU by education of the young people
5. 2019 was #3 a Year of much deceit in the News World
6. Manipulated content on social media
7. Hollowness of democracy
8. Undermining security and democracy via the Internet
9. Safeguarding freedom of expression
10. Gossip and fake news, opposite fact checking and facts presenting
11. Conspiracy theories in plenty-fold
12. Media Literacy

Ava Henseler's blog

In our day and age, information can be accessed from any place or any time. The ability to look up the answers to our greatest questions, see news from around the world, and connect with friends and family from wherever has bestowed on our lives with the gift of connectedness and knowledge. But, it is not always a blessing. The internet can be filled with hate and misinformation. In a jaunting post from The Atlantic, “The Grim Conclusions of the Largest-Ever Study of Fake News”, it was found that in the last 10 years, fake news stories reached and impacted more users on Twitter than true ones. As alarming as this study is, I am not very surprised by the result. From a young age, I have always been taught to question everything I may see online. From fake news stories on instagram to major news sources with…

View original post 301 more words

Consequences of our digital environment

On “Some View on the World” there is given some attention to “fake news”.

It looks like we have arrived in the age of populism and of authoritarian tendencies, cultural backlash, economic anxiety, ideological polarisation, and widespread conspiracy theories, democratic malaise, support for own gain and popularity.

Concerning religious matters “fake news” and untrue messages is nothing new. Already many decades non-religious groups and  trinitarian groups do everything to keep people away from non-trinitarian groups. But concerning the way of living we got a new era with the treatment of the Corona virus.

The problem with all the news which gets to us is that it is not always easy to recognise a message is a valuable correct informative article versus misinformative or mendacious reporting.

For a few years we have had the blessing of the personal computer and by the years several groups and bloggers offering news and comments on the events of the day. The digital environment became huge and today can mostly come unfiltered in millions of houses. At the beginning people where pleased with the new medium and were loving to spread new serious articles and thoughts about many matters. After a few years, others saw in the internet a very good means to disinform or misinform people. Today this misinformation threatens real news that allows us to become informed citizens.

Today there is also a lot of sharing on social media which brings press releases but also frequent human fabrications up to our daily plate. Disinformation spread via messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Signal are becoming more difficult to track and intercept because of end-to-end encryption. We can call it a blessing but it can also be a curse how social media allows space for uncensored opinions/ concerns as well as a space for mass groups to convene to address these opinions/concerns. It is incredible how many youngsters receive fake news through private messaging apps regularly and do not mind checking the article but just goes by the title or just believes what is multiplied or liked the most. For lots of people, it has become really very difficult to recognise the truth and false messages. We are unable to determine falsehoods from the truth, and some are quick to believe anything that looks credible. When messages align with their held opinions or views, people much easier shall consider them trustworthy.

While it is definitely worth allocating resources to combating disinformation using AI, caution and transparency are necessary given the potential ramifications. New technological solutions, unfortunately, may not be a silver bullet. (The Conversation)

To remember

A free society depends on the free exchange of ideas and honestly, the most important issues are the ones that are most controversial.

 

 

+

Please find to read:

1. A busy 2017 #3 Fake, gossip and real news
2. To protect our democratic system #1 Danger of fake and malicious social media accounts
3. Defeating populism in the EU by education of the young people
4. 2019 was #3 a Year of much deceit in the News World
5. Manipulated content on social media
6. Hollowness of democracy
7. Undermining security and democracy via the Internet
8. Safeguarding freedom of expression
9. Gossip and fake news, opposite fact checking and facts presenting
10. Conspiracy theories in plenty-fold
11. Media Literacy

++

Additional reading

1. Here is the truth or the lie
2. Gates to different belief systems in this world
3. Non-religious opposing religious people
4. A convinced voice to debunk false allegations

+++

Related

1. The Age of Disinformation
2. Barnum Circus or European Parliament?Between Freedom of Speech and Stigma
3. Interview #15 – Going Negative: Causes and Consequences of Attack Politics
4. Populism in Power: Law & Justice vs liberal democracy
5. Interview #14 – The Strange Case of Dr. Populist and Mr. Corruption
6. Robert Fisk on journalism, fake news and truth
7. Dealing with Fake News: The Social Responsibility of Big Tech and Possible Solutions
8. Media Literacy
9. Can AI help in stopping the spread of fake news? May be not
10. New York Times Complains That Cat Videos Are Being Used to Spread “Misinformation”
    Fake news, zombie papers and fabricated evidence: A thoroughly modern pandemic?
11. Share This Now! How Conspiracy Theories Swamped North Macedonia
12. Two-thirds in North Macedonia believe COVID was created to control humans: study
13. Breaking: Marjorie Taylor Greene To Introduce Legislation That Would Hold Fake News Accountable – “The freedom of press is not the freedom to lie. And that is the biggest thing we have to focus on. There needs to be accountability, and I think that’s something we really need to look at.”

Ali's Almanac

The digital environment today allows a voice for all. While this gives us the opportunity to be agents of change, emerging from it are fake news, cancel culture, and outrage culture.

If you weren’t living under a rock during the years 2016-2020, you might’ve heard the term fake news. This misinformation threatens real news that allows us to become informed citizens. NPR names this time as a “post-truth era.” We are unable to determine falsehoods from the truth and some are quick to believe anything that looks credible because 1. sources take time to verify and it’s easier to believe what you see/hear without fact-checking 2. people will believe something right away if it aligns with their held opinions or views. This is problematic especially in such a polarized political landscape and a time where social media is an outlet for so much misinformation. Being skeptical is so important…

View original post 417 more words