Fake News: The Modern - Day Propaganda

Source: FreePik || Design: Abey James

Blog posted by: Kartik Nair

NOTE: The views of the author are strictly personal.

There are ideas. There is engineering. There is technology. Then, there is us, humans. We, since time immemorial, have been used to doing and adjusting to things that were best suitable to us – our needs, goals and comforts. See any invention in history, and you’ll see that whenever newer things came in, the older ones were removed, discarded, phased out or attuned to fit into the modern times. Something similar happened with information.

Man has made a transition from non – verbal instructions (via signs and meaning), stone inscription to new media, internet and in this modern-day context, fake news. I will definitely be talking in detail about fake news and its mass scale impact, but we need to understand a bit of history. If you consider media as a city, the traditional media – television, newspapers, radios, books etc. would constitute the roads, lanes or even bridges. However, the new addition is the ‘information highway’, the internet, the decentralized tool to access and disseminate information. The houses we live in and the social settings would constitute the information part. The best part is, all of us individuals are unaware or for that matter don’t appreciate or see this infrastructure, though we are regularly consumed by it in our daily lives and affairs.

Information gathering for various purposes from the internet has become a norm today for us, netizens, who according to multiple statistics, spend anywhere between 5 to 7 hours a day online. But, we need to ask ourselves – how authentic is this information? Is the source legitimate? Can it be trusted? Does it intend to do more than it seems like? Hopefully, this essay on fake news will throw some light about popular questions faced by the masses.

The concept of propaganda has been practised around the world for centuries (and has been infamous over shaping and crystallizing public opinion), and ‘fake news’ just seems to be an extension of it. But hey, isn’t fake news just doing the same? If you were to ask me to trace the origins of fake news, I would take you to the 1274 BC, the Battle of Qadesh, the earliest recorded battle in history, which was fought between the Egyptians and Hittites. Rameses the Great, spread lies about the outcome of the battle and how the campaign came off as a stunning victory for the Egyptians. But, in reality, if the historians are to be believed, the battle was at best, a draw and the outcome was a loss of Egyptian influence over the Qadesh territory. Well, what was the reason for not accepting the defeat and lying then? Simple. The image of a perfect Egyptian pharaoh needed to be maintained, and a pharaoh would never publicly admit defeat. 

But the modern-day scenario is different. The opening of the internet in the 90s was meant to allow people to get access to information. But, in the process, the internet grew and still continues growing to unimaginable heights, with tons of unverified information created and stored every day on the net. A lot of media and cyber experts believe that an ever-changing landscape of media consumption has led millennials and modern-day information viewers find, follow and share those types of information that best suits their perception and ideology. But what is this fake news that has been doing rounds of the World Wide Web? By standard definition, fake news is false, sensational, information disseminated under the guise of news reporting. And it is happening everywhere – from developed countries to third world countries. Here is a fact I stumbled upon when I was doing my research for this blog: The term ‘fake news’ was the ‘Collins word of the year for 2017’.  

Commonly spread through online media or in some cases, traditional media, fake news is a form of communication consisting of deliberate or purposeful misinformation; in most cases, intended to achieve an objective, which could be to mislead or misinform the public, a public figure, an institution, etc. for more substantial gains and to increase readership. This gives rise to a term I learnt in my media studies days, ‘yellow journalism’ – a type of news reporting associated with sensationalism and not-so-relevant-news, commonly with flashy or eye-grabbing headlines whose sole objective is to give an exaggerated viewpoint of an event to the audience. And most of us, end up consuming it, digesting it well till we are okay with it, without much thought. If we ask ‘Why?’ – the reasons could be anything from an objective to gain higher clicks to monetary gain and revenue generation to something as big as influential figures being involved with political leaders to influence public opinion. Sometimes, it could even be for satirical or humorous purposes, where the news is intended not to cause harm but to entertain the reader.

The unprecedented growth in the number of mobile phone users along with high speed, cheap internet networks and a rising number of social media users have given the ‘creators’ unlimited ways of getting a particular piece of news, to a particular group of persons in a particular way. To add to it, the people spend a considerable amount of time online to ‘get latest updates’ as stated in the earlier paragraphs. The global population, today, is around 8 billion people. Of the 4.54 billion users on the internet, there are over 3.8 active social media accounts (~84% of the internet users have a social media account). The average human being today, is active on, at least, four to five various forms of social media. But off late, social media has moved from a platform of common information sharing or personal news sharing to a place, a medium to abuse the right of free speech and debate. The usage of the ‘filter bubble’ is also a growing problem; a tool specifically meant for a user on social media platforms to view a particular piece of news. Here, only a part of the story is being shared – the one liked by the viewer. This ‘customization’ of news is another aspect altogether.

So, how does fake news flourish? 

The answer lies in the ‘fire triangle formula’. To generate fire, you need fuel, heat and oxygen. Similarly, for fake news to thrive, there are three essential factors – without which it might not get spread and reach its intended audience. These are: a motivation for action, relevant social media networks and tools required for manipulation. Sadly all tools necessary for the streamlined flow of false information and fake news is freely available out there. The social media poses a challenge – The news is put, but unless people react to it, it is just another piece of news. But for some reason or the other, people buy it very quickly, the one which best suits their needs and interests. And here, false political news spreads much quicker than others. Research also shows false tweets having more chances to be retweeted than original tweets. We, as humans, are attracted to events and information that are both surprising and new, and this causes a high level of attention and awareness in our brain. This prevents us from actually verifying the piece of information for its truthfulness and credibility.

Source: Internet 

No, no! Let me right away inform you that it’s not an authentic piece of news. But, this term, ‘fake news’ grabbed global eyeballs during the 2016 US Presidential election, as an effect of a large number of Pro-Trump fake news going viral over a large number of social media and fake news websites. During this period, phoney news websites received over 159 million clicks, and a lot of expert opinions suggested the online propaganda in the form of fake news to the sensational victory of Trump. Well see these headlines – ‘Pope backs Trump’, ‘Hillary sold weapons to ISIS’, etc. Now, imagine these types of news media being accessed by pro-Trump followers. Maybe, the World Health Organization (WHO) was right in terming the spread of fake news an ‘infodemic’. 

So, we now turn to the fundamental question – Why is fake news created?

Experts point out that false news (an extension of fake news) covers a wide range of topics built on the foundation of misinformation in fields such as environment, health, etc. Again, false information is nothing but a piece of news created to deliberately misinform readers, to influence public opinion, push an agenda, etc. Earlier, there was the traditional form of media, but the internet now opened an entire gateway to information. The information overload is also a possible reason for people consuming fake stories. A few more frequent and possible causes are stated below:

• Click baits: These are stories designed in a way that it gains more website visitors to increase advertising revenue.
• Propaganda/Public Opinion: The negative side of fake news, this focuses on misleading audiences or promoting a political cause or agenda.
• Parody: These are news published for the sake of comedy or entertainment purposes.
• Biased News: People are drawn to stories that conform to their own beliefs and biases, and false news ends up preying on it.
• Distraction: Commonly known as ‘smokescreen’, this technique focuses on making the public focus its attention on a topic that is more convenient to a ‘particular set of people’.

Again, thanks to the internet and ever-growing social media, it is now more accessible for all individuals to potentially publish whatever they want and make it viewed to large audiences. All of this makes one thing clear: Media is no longer passively consumed. The rise of social media manipulation is getting worse by the day as more and more governments are using it to shape public opinion. This is a direct threat to democracy. “Cyber Troops” – a term for government/political actors that use social media to manipulate public opinion and push their own agenda for various purposes are on an alarming increase in several countries, including our country, India. The cyber propagandists love to create memes, trolls, videos and use them to manipulate media, which, in turn, shapes users across various domains. 

Okay. There is fake news. There is a manipulation of the public option, but what is the real impact? Well, the news might be false, but it has real consequences. According to a study by Israeli cybersecurity firm CHEQ and the Baltimore University, online fake news is costing the global economy over $78 Billion each year. The report analyses the direct economic cost inflicted by fake news, alongside growing prices paid by businesses and governments to counter misinformation. The economic losses underline the rise of the spread of misinformation and fake news as a top global risk, causing detriment to significant sectors, including healthcare, politics, e-commerce, media, finance, etc. And over 400 million dollars are spent every year to strategically advertise fake news in political elections throughout the world.

We, in India, are perhaps more vulnerable or susceptible to this spread of fake news. In India, internet users have risen from 137 million in 2012 to over 600 million in 2019. In India, the problems of misinformation in a society could be much more complex and challenging than in the west. And it is growing. We witnessed it during the Citizenship Amendment Act – 2019, the 2019 general elections (termed as India’s first Whatsapp elections), the situation in Kashmir, Muzaffarnagar riots, Kerala floods, fake recruitment notices for government jobs, etc. In a nutshell, in India, fake news leads to violence between castes and religions. The most recent one was about Coronavirus, and all of us will agree that we received at least 1 message we later learnt wasn’t true. There it exists: In our everyday lives. 

To add to everything, we, Indians are the biggest market for Whatsapp, with over 400 million users. The app has become a popular platform to misinform users than to inform. Right, at that moment, emerged an institution, a large number of us, Indians are a part of – Whatsapp University. Now, universities are meant to act as a medium to provide knowledge and information. According to a lot of surveys, Whatsapp is the least trusted source of news with less than 30% of reliable information. And this has only grown with the increased number of users in both rural and urban areas. And unlike Facebook or Twitter, there is no fact-checking mechanism in place. The posts are private and are secured via encryption as the company ‘deeply believes in people’s ability to communicate privately online’. Again, it is not easy to change the privacy policy and monitor each message as it will be considered a violation of fundamental rights under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution. That being said, Whatsapp and Facebook have been struggling to control the impact of fake news around the world. A recent Reuters survey found that 52% of respondents getting their daily news feed via Whatsapp.

In India, according to the Economic Times, social media firms, including Google, Facebook, Twitter, etc. are in talks to form an industry-wide alliance to tackle fake news. The Information Trust Alliance (ITA) will bring together social media platforms, digital publishers, content creators, fact-checkers, etc. to spread awareness about fake news and misinformation among us, netizens via collaborative efforts. The battle is being led by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI).

But what can we do at the ground level?

• Start by checking the website if it is a reliable or credible source. Try finding more information about the origin or the site or even the agency.
• Look beyond the obvious. The headline is not everything.
• Cross-check the news with reputable sources to verify its authenticity.
• Don’t have preconceived notions or biases.

Look for fact-checking websites in India. You could search for Boom, Alt News, Factly, SMHoaxSlayer, Politifact, Factcheck or even government sources like the Press Information Bureau (PIB). In 2019, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting planned to set up a FACT checking module to counter the circulation of fake news by continuously monitoring online news sources and social media posts. The module is based on ‘FACT’ – Find, Assess, Create and Target.

Quite similar to the pandemic, this ‘infodemic’ disease has to be controlled by us. Let us make a collective start to think twice before believing a random story. Maybe, doing this will keep us away from the ‘Whatsapp University’ – Trust me, that’s not a degree you would like to have.

Click here to read my blog about freedom of press in India.

NOTE: DO NOT COPY ANY CONTENT OF THIS ESSAY/ARTICLE FOR ANY PURPOSE/S WITHOUT THE AUTHOR'S PERMISSION. PEOPLE WILLING TO USE THIS ARTICLE FOR ACADEMIC/RESEARCH PURPOSES NEED TO CITE THE AUTHOR AND THIS WEB PAGE. NOT DOING SO SHALL RESULT IN AN ACT OF PLAGIARISM.

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