Why fake news stories thrive online?
Recently, some close associates of President Kiir are publicly criticizing his administration and this give room for speculations about his reaction to all this criticism. Also in way allow fake news stories to proliferate on social media. Indeed, they are often shared more than real news is.
In a country like South Sudan, fake news is harmful. Many untrue stories are believed by the people who post them. Sometimes a story that was intended as satire circulates as fact. Others are deliberately deceptive.
A recent report seen by NCMP by one Philip Deng Kuol on Facebook about the arrest of Gen. Kuol Manyang in Juba, was shared widely on Facebook, with close to 200 comments and over 72 shares with few hours that the news hit the social media.
This wholly fabricated story, as at the time of the report, the said general that was allegedly arrested was in Bor town witnessing the launching ceremony at Dr. John Garang memorial university. He wasn’t in Juba at all.
Combating the spread of false stories is important but difficult. The obvious solution — fact-checking — is ineffective: Many fake news consumers are suspicious of mainstream media and dismiss as partisan and deceptive any statistics or evidence that counter their beliefs.
Worse, as we’ll discuss below, demonstrating the factual flaws in a story can actually increase its social value. To discourage the spread of fake news, we need to better understand why sharing these stories is so appealing.
Partisanship is part of it. People like and share news that conforms to their existing beliefs, and fake news stories are often strongly biased. Of course, people also share real news when it agrees with their views. One would think that given a real news story or a fake one, both conforming to one’s beliefs, that the real news would be preferable.
But fake news thrives online, frequently surpassing real news in its reach. Recognizing the social function of news sharing is the key to understanding this seemingly irrational behavior. In the world of social media, Facebook and Twitter, news is shared not just to inform or even to persuade. It is used as a marker of identity, a way to proclaim your affinity with a particular community.
- First, follow the now-old adage, “Don’t feed the trolls.” If someone posts a fake story, and you think they have simply been duped, certainly it is useful to point out the error with a more reliable source. Please do graciously. No one likes to be publicly humiliated. Sometimes a private message is better. But if you think the posting is really about proclaiming identity, ignore it. Don’t amplify its value by arguing. And if you must say something, here a private message is really better — you can convey your disapproval without providing the public display of discord that just strengthens their signal.
- Second, help promote a culture that reveres veracity. Check your sources before you post anything. Support newspapers and other organizations that do good, reliable reporting. Discourage people in your own community when they promote stories that feel good to you, but are, alas, untrue.
- Third, appreciate the humor. Like fake news, jokes and satire are markers of identity — funny to insiders, and often incomprehensible or offensive to outsiders. They may be tasteless, they may be divisive but unlike fake news, they are not an assault on truth.