Whenever there’s news, there’s always fake news as well, so that’s pretty much everywhere. So, how can we distinguish what is real and what isn’t? Did this plethora of misinformation sway this year’s U.S. Election? Who knows?! The point is that this misleading information is responsible for people forming wrong opinions on important subjects because they don’t have the real facts.
But, people are selling fake news all the time and getting away with it. They are setting up sites with random information about famous people or trending topics and adding advertisements. People searching for celebrity X or that particular topic will visit your site where you strategically place ads. When people click on the ads, you get paid and shortly after setting up the site will receive a check in the post from those you are advertising for. It’s quick and easy money and is why people are doing it and not caring what is written and whoever they slander in the process.
The fact that there are now bots around that can create fake news is also a worry and one that we probably can’t do much about. False accounts are created and controlled by malicious software and people are none the wiser. But, on the flip side, there are bots that have been developed to detect this misinforming bots, and although not perfect, they do a pretty good job.
Many people are fooled by bots that mimic friends or come from social media networks. And all it takes is one piece of wrong information to start a whole debate on fake news. It’s far easier and cheaper to fabricate the news opposed to reporting the real truth. Engaging posts are created that intended to spark conversation and look the same as real news, but underneath are completely fabricated. Studies show that misleading posts are clicked on just as often as real news.
So, I guess the moral of the story checks out what you are reading before you share it or take too much from it. Not everything you hear or read will be the truth, and it’s so easy to be misled, so just be careful and if in doubt, check it out!
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