Photo by Nijwam Swargiary on Unsplash
Lies have been used for centuries, therefore fake news is only a repackaged version of them. As long as there have been humans, it has been used for monetary benefit and political purposes. Whether it's a selfish money goal or an ideological objective, people will always try to influence others for their own gain.
False headlines have become a disease in society, and people now believe them without even reading the article or verifying them.
By infecting our thoughts with erroneous information, fake news opens the door to the spread of misleading information and half-truths, which can then become viral falsehoods.
The internet has made it simpler to transmit information widely, but it hasn't made it any easier to detect online fraud. Tools like Facebook and Twitter's "share" buttons have made it possible for individuals to spread false information at a rate that has never previously been achieved by human hands, and fake news has become so common that it is now on par with reliable journalism.
One of the most significant issues facing modern civilization is the abundance of false information. A significant piece of our worldview is formed based on what we read, hear, and see online, and as a result, it is constantly susceptible to being tainted by erroneous information.
Irish writer George Bernard Shaw famously stated, and I quote,
"Beware of false knowledge; it is more deadly than ignorance."
Here's why: False knowledge is harmful because it gives you the impression that you know and that gives you a sense of security, but genuine ignorance can be overcome with factually accurate information. Therefore, it is hard to convince someone who honestly believes false teachings or information to alter their viewpoint.
I am a debunker
I come across false news every day, but I seldom fall for it since I always read articles from reputable sources, not just any blog or social media post. Before I trust anything I read, I also examine its rationale.
Because I consistently disprove bogus news, many close to me already recognize me as a debunker. When I see individuals posting fabricated news or tales, I am always both sad and furious.
Since the internet is an unending supply of information—as well as an endless source of false information—I don't mind devoting hours to making sure that I correct such a person. Erroneous information breeds false knowledge, which threatens the stability of the global order.
Fake news is so dangerous that it can lead to the loss of lives.
For instance, during the peak of the COVID-19 epidemic, fake news was at an all-time high, and some lives were lost not because of the virus itself but because of false information.
How I dealt with Fake news recently
A buddy sent a photo of what was allegedly Elon Musk's Hotel on Mars on her WhatsApp status more than two months ago. I could not contain my laughter. As soon as I saw the post, I instructed my friend to take it down immediately. She thankfully complied. However, guess what? Many of my friends also shared it on their statuses.
Image by WikiImages from Pixabay
I was depressed and enraged when I learned how easily individuals might be duped online. Many people are unaware that humans have never visited Mars; only robotic rovers have gone there.
I took care to correct them all, yet some of them continue to assert that it is accurate. I made an effort to explain the solar system and the red planet, Mars, to them. However, not many people are interested in hearing what is being said.
Many of them said they saw it on their friend's status and shared it when I questioned them about where they got this false information. Some claimed to have seen it on Twitter; I checked it out, and you should see the disgust on my face when I discovered the volume of false information being spread there.
In a lot of tweets, it was claimed that Elon Musk had already built a hotel on Mars, as seen in the screenshot above. I became enraged when I saw how many were from my nation.
Most people are unaware of the enormous amount of labour required to build a structure on Mars; in fact, it would take a current rocket seven months to travel from earth to mars.
No humans have ever set foot on the planet Mars, but if they had, it would have received greater acclaim than Neil Armstrong's moon landing.
Ignorance helps spread fake news
One of the main causes of false news spreading is ignorance; if those individuals had a thorough understanding of space flight or the solar system, they would be able to recognize the fake news.
After seeing the news, I quickly realized it was fake since I understood enough about the planetary system.