What is fake news?
Remember those self remedies to prevent Covid19 your relatives sent to your family group chats? Or the accusation of North Korea killing their Covid19 patient to keep the infector rate 0? Basically, fake news of information that is false and the story itself has no verifiable facts.
How does fake news spread?
Just like the real news, fake news usually uses the most efficient way to reach its audience; social media platforms. Bots are used to propagate fake news and increase the credibility and popularity of their fake news on social media. People who created these bots will also create a social media account solely on spreading fake news (Yes… I know. There are such people), however, that is the first step of the “virus”. Normally fake news is created using scandalous stories or political stories that target audience emotions such as angry, shock, or surprise in order to make us share the post (fake news) to our family and friends and this is how the fake news keeps on spreading.
Why did people create fake news?
There can be a lot of reasons why people create fake news. There are simple reasons such as jealousy or revenge such as public framing celebrities’ to create scandals to political reasons. But on the side note is fake news pays! (Yes! They get paid for producing fake news!!). It has the same effect on any other websites that provide advertisements, it means the more click they have on the page, the more advertisements are seen thus it help the creators gain advertisement revenue!
What can we do to stop the fake news from spreading?
Everyone just needs to do their part to check on the credibility of the news before sharing it and educate the people around us making sure they do not share those news blindly just because they do not affect them.
What do you guys think about fake news? Should the government or social media companies step up their game to prevent the spread of misinformation? Or maybe we can post a piece of fake news about Kobe Bryant faking his death and see what happens? I’m just kidding. Leave a comment down below and share with me how you feel about it. Good day!
Dann Chia (S3771847) Digital Marketing Blog 
Hi Dann,
I agree that fake news is prevalent in our society especially with the advancement in technology and social media. There are more non-government affiliated publications now and people have to be more wary on the credibility and source of the article. I know that Singapore have implemented a fake news law, how do you think this is helping?
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Thank you for reading Gen!
As long as it is a way to earn money people are willing to do it. That is the issue of the fake news because it allows people to earn money through advertisement.
I felt that the Singapore government should strengthen the measure against people from creating fake news and educate Singaporean to differentiate the fake news before sharing it. This is because there is still fake news spreading every day and it is not something a person can stop as we need support from the government and the public.
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Hi Dann,
Personally when i browse the web for news update, I will always use credible sources like CNN or The Straits Times for accurate news. For example, the news of Trump getting Covid19 was rampant on social media platforms like Instagram. So I the first thing i did was going to CNN for the “REAL” news and it turned out to be true!
It is normal for people to be skeptical about things they see online due to people who often share fake news. What about you Dann? Do you have the habit of looking up for credible sources?
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Thank you for reading Ryan!
Similarly, I will clarify the news authenticity from the relevant website as well. Just like when CNN posted president trump got infected by Covid19, I wouldn’t believe it and move on to search on another credible source thinking that might be the “fake CNN”.
I think it is normal for us to do it because we are educated about how fake news works and the effect of spreading fake news. However, for the elders or middle age “Aunties” in Singapore, they wouldn’t check the credibility of the source and share the news without a second thought and that can be an issue in a long run.
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I agree with you, Fake news will have a big negative impact and some people may really fall for it. It is important for internet users to choose which news that are credible enough to trust. Do you think that elderly people is the largest victim from fake news?
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Thank you for reading Bong!
As we all know how fake news can bring impact to our lives, people should educate their families and friends about it.
I agree with you to a certain extent that the elderly are one of the largest victims of fake news. Firstly, the elderly are mostly not tech-savvy and wouldn’t see the fake news in the first place, however, if they have the chance to see it they will definitely fall for it. I felt that the biggest contribution to the spreading of the fake news is some of us and middle-age(aunties) that like to share that news in the WhatsApp group, such as there is a new article I read about natural medicine to prevent Covid19.
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