This I Know to be True

Ethnologies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 93-110
Author(s):  
Kari Sawden
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Alternative Facts ◽  
Ongoing Relationship ◽  
External Sources ◽  
News Headlines

Working within alternative belief communities, I frequently encounter a tension between what is felt to be authentic and the facts provided by external sources. Even a cursory glance at the news headlines and social media postings that saturate daily life with terms such as “fake news” and “alternative facts” reveals that this is not an isolated struggle. Focusing on the ways in which contemporary Canadian divination practitioners establish their own truth, this paper examines how these processes reflect and support folklore’s engagement with and ongoing relationship to the emergence of multiple authenticities defined by the experiential.

scholarly journals Beyond “fake news”: The role of analytic thinking in the detection of inaccuracy and partisan bias in news headlines

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert M Ross ◽  
David Gertler Rand ◽  
Gordon Pennycook
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Analytic Thinking ◽  
Total N ◽  
Partisan Bias ◽  
News Content ◽  
Political Bias ◽  
Political Partisanship ◽  
News Headlines

Why is misleading partisan content believed and shared? An influential account posits that political partisanship pervasively biases reasoning, such that engaging in analytic thinking exacerbates motivated reasoning and, in turn, the acceptance of hyperpartisan content. Alternatively, it may be that susceptibility to hyperpartisan misinformation is explained by a lack of reasoning. Across two studies using different subject pools (total N = 1977), we had participants assess true, false, and hyperpartisan headlines taken from social media. We found no evidence that analytic thinking was associated with increased polarization for either judgments about the accuracy of the headlines or willingness to share the news content on social media. Instead, analytic thinking was broadly associated with an increased capacity to discern between true headlines and either false or hyperpartisan headlines. These results suggest that reasoning typically helps people differentiate between low and high quality news content, rather than facilitating political bias.

scholarly journals Detection of FAKE NEWS on SOCIAL MEDIA using CLASSIFICATION Data Mining Techniques

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 3132-3138
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Data Mining ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Information Exchange ◽  
Learning Algorithm ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
Support Vector ◽  
Machine Learning Algorithm ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Other Information

In today’s world social media is one of the most important tool for communication that helps people to interact with each other and share their thoughts, knowledge or any other information. Some of the most popular social media websites are Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp and Wechat etc. Since, it has a large impact on people’s daily life it can be used a source for any fake or misinformation. So it is important that any information presented on social media should be evaluated for its genuineness and originality in terms of the probability of correctness and reliability to trust the information exchange. In this work we have identified the features that can be helpful in predicting whether a given Tweet is Rumor or Information. Two machine learning algorithm are executed using WEKA tool for the classification that is Decision Tree and Support Vector Machine.

Credibility Perceptions and Detection Accuracy of Fake News Headlines on Social Media: Effects of Truth-Bias and Endorsement Cues

2020 ◽  
pp. 009365022092132
Author(s):  
Mufan Luo ◽  
Jeffrey T. Hancock ◽  
David M. Markowitz
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Deception Detection ◽  
Detection Accuracy ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Default Theory ◽  
Impact Detection ◽  
Truth Bias ◽  
News Credibility ◽  
Biased Processing ◽  
News Headlines

This article focuses on message credibility and detection accuracy of fake and real news as represented on social media. We developed a deception detection paradigm for news headlines and conducted two online experiments to examine the extent to which people (1) perceive news headlines as credible, and (2) accurately distinguish fake and real news across three general topics (i.e., politics, science, and health). Both studies revealed that people often judged news headlines as fake, suggesting a deception-bias for news in social media. Across studies, we observed an average detection accuracy of approximately 51%, a level consistent with most research using this deception detection paradigm with equal lie-truth base-rates. Study 2 evaluated the effects of endorsement cues in social media (e.g., Facebook likes) on message credibility and detection accuracy. Results showed that headlines associated with a high number of Facebook likes increased credibility, thereby enhancing detection accuracy for real news but undermining accuracy for fake news. These studies introduce truth-default theory to the context of news credibility and advance our understanding of how biased processing of news information can impact detection accuracy with social media endorsement cues.

scholarly journals “Fake News- A Pandemic within a Pandemic”

2021 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 629-636
Author(s):  
Priyanka Mishra
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Text Messages ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Scientific Attitude ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Digital World ◽  
The World ◽  
Types Of Information ◽  
News Headlines

INTRODUCTION- Misinformation. Hoaxes. Rumours. Fake news- so many terms for the same phenomenon. It is something which is not new and has been going on since as early as any of us can remember. Although recently, it has seen a sudden boom with the advent of the digital world and suddenly everyone seems to have an opinion on everything going on in the world, however ill formed it maybe. SUMMARY- In such a situation, how could the single biggest event of 2020- the corona virus or COVID 19 pandemic, be an exception to this trend. All of us have come across some piece of “information” regarding this microscopic being which while staying invisible to the naked eye has proved to be mankind’s worst nemesis till date and has brought the world down on its knees. It proved to be an evil which could exist in any form- pictures, videos, text messages, audio messages, news headlines or a simply misconstrued interpretation of something said by a public figure. There are various reasons responsible for this surge of fake news, primarily the multitude of information available today at one’s fingertips coupled with lack of scientific attitude and awareness. The proliferation of social media has democratized access to all types of information and at the same time blurred the line between truth and falsehood. Although there is evidence that social media was used as a channel to disseminate useful information such as common symptoms of COVID infection, need for social distancing etc, the consequences of false information masquerading as verifiable truth were apparent during the peak of the pandemic crisis, with false parallels being drawn between scientific evidence and uninformed opinion. CONCLUSION- Fake news needs to be scrutinised harder than ever with the world facing its biggest health crisis in centuries.

scholarly journals A Practical Guide to Doing Behavioral Research on Fake News and Misinformation

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gordon Pennycook ◽  
Jabin Binnendyk ◽  
Christie Newton ◽  
David G. Rand
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Behavioral Research ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Political Issues ◽  
News Content ◽  
Current Affairs ◽  
False News ◽  
News Headlines ◽  
Selection Of

Coincident with the global rise in concern about the spread of misinformation on social media, there has been influx of behavioral research on so-called “fake news” (fabricated or false news headlines that are presented as if legitimate) and other forms of misinformation. These studies often present participants with news content that varies on relevant dimensions (e.g., true v. false, politically consistent v. inconsistent, etc.) and ask participants to make judgments (e.g., accuracy) or choices (e.g., whether they would share it on social media). This guide is intended to help researchers navigate the unique challenges that come with this type of research. Principle among these issues is that the nature of news content that is being spread on social media (whether it is false, misleading, or true) is a moving target that reflects current affairs in the context of interest. Steps are required if one wishes to present stimuli that allow generalization from the study to the real-world phenomenon of online misinformation. Furthermore, the selection of content to include can be highly consequential for the study’s outcome, and researcher biases can easily result in biases in a stimulus set. As such, we advocate for pretesting materials and, to this end, report our own pretest of 224 recent true and false news headlines, both relating to U.S. political issues and the COVID-19 pandemic. These headlines may be of use in the short term, but, more importantly, the pretest is intended to serve as an example of best practices in a quickly evolving area of research.

scholarly journals A practical guide to doing behavioural research on fake news and misinformation

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gordon Pennycook ◽  
Jabin Binnendyk ◽  
Christie Newton ◽  
David Gertler Rand
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Political Issues ◽  
News Content ◽  
Current Affairs ◽  
Behavioural Research ◽  
False News ◽  
News Headlines ◽  
Selection Of

Coincident with the global rise in concern about the spread of misinformation on social media, there has been influx of behavioural research on so-called “fake news” (fabricated or false news headlines that are presented as if legitimate) and other forms of misinformation. These studies often present participants with news content that varies on relevant dimensions (e.g., true v. false, politically consistent v. inconsistent, etc.) and ask participants to make judgments (e.g., accuracy) or choices (e.g., whether they would share it on social media). This guide is intended to help researchers navigate the unique challenges that come with this type of research. Principle among these issues is that the nature of news content that is being spread on social media (whether it is false, misleading, or true) is a moving target that reflects current affairs in the context of interest. Steps are required if one wishes to present stimuli that allow generalization from the study to the real-world phenomenon. Furthermore, the selection of content to include can be highly consequential for the study’s outcome, and researcher biases can easily result in biases in a stimulus set. As such, we advocate for pretesting materials and, to this end, report our own pretest of 225 recent true and false news headlines, both relating to U.S. political issues and the COVID-19 pandemic. These headlines may be of use in the short term, but, more importantly, the pretest is intended to serve as an example of best practices in a quickly evolving area of research.

Social media, fake news and fake COVID-19 cures in Nigeria

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 435-449 ◽  
Author(s):  
Temple Uwalaka ◽  
Bigman Nwala ◽  
Amadi Confidence Chinedu
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Fake News ◽  
News Stories ◽  
News Consumption ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The Impact ◽  
News Headlines

This study investigates the impact of social media ‘fake news’ and fake cures headlines on how Netizens viewed and responded to the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria. Using data from an online survey (N=254), this study reveals that social media was overwhelmingly the most used type of media for news consumption generally, and the most important source of news about the pandemic. Data further reveal that the impact of extensive exposure to fake news headlines about the pandemic was dangerous and could have a deleterious impact. Crucially, this study finds that recalling and believing fake news headlines and using social media as the main source of news, significantly decreases the likelihood of believing credible and real news stories. Finally, this study offers theoretical and empirical background to frame the debate about factors that influence the believability of fake news headlines by contributing and extending the theorization of the amplification hypothesis.

Is Fake News Old News?

2021 ◽  
pp. 156-179
Author(s):  
Catarina Dutilh Novaes ◽  
Jeroen de Ridder
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Public Opinion ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Fiction Writing ◽  
Non Fiction ◽  
Alternative Facts ◽  
Internet And Social Media

Do we live in a post-truth era where fake news and alternative facts run rampant? This suggestion has become a staple of recent non-fiction writing. Others disagree and suggest that contemporary fake news is really nothing new. This chapter examines what, if anything, is novel about contemporary fake news. After clarifying the meaning of fake news for the present purposes, the chapter presents three models of manipulation of public opinion and argues that they are recognizable throughout history. Next, the chapter looks at various features of contemporary fake news that could account for its novelty. Based on a survey of historical and empirical evidence, it is proposed that the novelty of contemporary fake news primarily lies in how the Internet and social media have changed the ways in which (fake) news can be distributed and consumed

Says Who? The Effects of Presentation Format and Source Rating on Fake News in Social Media

MIS Quarterly ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 1025-1039 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antino Kim ◽  
◽  
Alan R. Dennis ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Presentation Format ◽  
Fake News

Garden-Variety Formalist

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-60
Author(s):  
Colin Lang
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Social Constructivism ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Bret Easton Ellis ◽  
Literary Achievement ◽  
Alternative Facts ◽  
Media Spectacle ◽  
New Perspective ◽  
Complex Relationships

Recently, the effort to counter Fake News faced a counter attack: academic »postmodernism « and »social constructivism« it was said—because they say that facts are soaked in prior interpretations—are either purveyors of Fake News or set the cultural context in which it flourishes. They do so by undermining confidence in inquiry governed by simple facts. That is erroneous, argues William E. Connolly, because postmodernism never said that facts or objectivity are ghostly, subjective or »fake«. However, that what was objective at one time may become less so at a later date through the combination of a paradigm shift in theory, new powers of perception, new tests with refined instruments, and changes in natural processes such as species evolution. But the emergence of new theories and tests does not reduce objectivity to subjective opinion. Facts are real. Objectivity is important. But as you move up the scale of complexity with respect to facts and objectivity, it becomes clear that what was objective at one time may become subjective at another. Not because of Fake News or postmodernism. But because the complex relationships between theory, evidence and conduct periodically open up new thresholds. Colin Lang in turn rhetorically asks if »fake news« or »alternative facts« are a new carnival and Trump its dog and pony show? The idea of »fake news« and »alternative facts« as a carnival could not only help to see the constructedness of the media spectacle, but also provides a new perspective on Trump as an actor who is playing a particular role in this carnival, and that role is not one that any of us would describe as presidential. Many in the popular press have assumed it is just what it looks like, an infantilized narcissist, a parody of some Regan-era New York real estate tycoon straight out of a Bret Easton Ellis novel. The problem is that this description is all too obvious, and misses something fundamental about alternative facts, and the part that Trump is playing. A central assumption is, then, that the creation of alternative facts is one symptom of a more structural, paradigmatic shift in the persona of a president, one which has few correlates in the annals of political history. The closest analogy for his kind of performance is actually hinted at in the title of Trump’s greatest literary achievement: The Art of the Deal. Trump is playing the part of an artist, pilfering from the tactics of the avant-garde and putting them to very different ends.

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