IMPACT OF FAKE NEWS ON PEOPLE IN THE PAST AND DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55197/qjssh.v3i4.152Keywords:
fake news, COVID-19, pandemic, health sectorAbstract
If the Internet is teeming with resources, it is also a perfect vector for fake news. Google News, Facebook and Twitter indirectly participate in the spread of this misleading information. In this context, the term fake news or false information seems to have become a portmanteau word used to designate a heterogeneous set of inaccurate and/or misleading messages circulating within the public space. Disinformation is thus exacerbated by the way in which various audiences engage with it and amplify it, even unintentionally. The issue of disinformation within today's societies must be understood at the crossroads of human behavior (economic, ideological, political, playful motivations, etc. of those who create and disseminate erroneous information) and the technological and industrial specificities of new digital ecosystems. Within participatory platforms, the value of the content conveyed is now measured more in terms of potential for sharing, experience and connection, and less in terms of information. In this article, we will try to have a brief overview of fake news in the past, selecting a few examples from different eras as there are tons of examples of fake news throughout history, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, as today's fake news is different from the past in the speed at which it spreads and how it is used to influence the public.
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