FATEC 2018/1

Technology brought us fake news — and it will help us kill it

   “Fake news” - websites disseminating news stories that are false but are believed to be true – was a major feature of the U.S. election season. Some observers believe that it determined the outcome of the election, although there is no way to definitively ascertain its effect on voting.

  Fake news is news that affects the digital universe profoundly. Fake news grew because of the ease of creating and disseminating websites and stories that look and read as credible as real news sites (at least to many people). It is disseminated on social media platforms just because dissemination of information without vetting has always been a feature of those platforms. This was designed tofacilitate communication - no one removes a negative comment about a restaurant on Facebook.

  On the positive side, this means that everyone’s opinion can be disseminated. The awareness of fake news, though, reveals a downside – or perhaps a loophole – of the freedom to post. And fake news may beget1 fake news. Facebook is not the only media company to be an inadvertent host for fake news, but it is by far the largest, with roughly 2 billion users each month.

  Forbes indicates that the fallout2 from fake news during the election cycle may cause advertisers topull back from Facebook, as it is less “brand safe” than  formerly. If unchecked, fake news could impact the perceived credibility of online sites where fake news runs. Since the election, Facebook has announced plans to refine and increase automated detection of fake news and to make reporting of suspected stories easier for Facebook users. It has also indicated that the current ad system will be changed, to interfere with fake news sites receiving revenue from Facebook.

https://tinyurl.com/y8jfq2t4 Acesso em: 07.11.2017. Adaptado.

Glossáriobeget1: gerar, criar, produzir. 

fallout 2: efeitos negativos.