FAKE News is nuanced and complex problem that has caused much turbulence around the globe. Fake news which is also called false news encompasses both misinformation and disinformation. Disinformation is deliberate propaganda that is intentionally spread while misinformation is false news which is transmitted without knowing its originality. This phenomena needs to be understood through its functionality. Disinformation is caused by enemy states, cells of political parties or other non-state actors but it gets more strength when people forward the news not with the intent of propaganda but they interpret it in the way as it is because of prevailing dubious environment or some kind of biasedness. Hence, misinformation is largely connected to misinterpretations.
Owing to its perilous nature, even advanced countries like the US and EU have failed to stifle disinformation. On December 4, 2016, a shooting at a pizza shop in Northwest Washington involved a 28-year-old man who believed fake news claiming the shop was linked to paedophilia, thinking he was rescuing trapped children. The New York Times noted, “In Washington Pizzeria Attack, Fake News Brought Real Guns.” Additionally, the 2016 US elections were influenced by Russian social media accounts, contributing to Trump’s win. Elon Musk was criticized for spreading false news, prompting EU Parliament President Valerie Hayer to urge action against him. On December 18, 2023, the EU announced that X, formerly Twitter, breached rules on illegal content and disinformation. Research in Science Magazine found that fake news spreads faster and reaches more people than the truth.
Disinformation coupled with misinformation becomes highly lethal. The link between them must be broken through various measures, allowing disinformation to die a natural death. Misinformation arises from interpretations of events and permeates vague environments, especially when there is a vacuum on social media and a lack of credibility. Conflict serves as a breeding ground for misinformation, encompassing not only hot conflicts but also political, national, and social disagreements. During conflicts, the national, social, and cultural environment becomes polarized, creating biases and misinterpretations. Examples include the 2016 US elections, the Russia-Ukraine war with false claims on both sides, the COVID-19 pandemic’s origins, and the Pakistani political tussle.
A three-pronged strategy should be adopted to counter misinformation. First, the culture of social media users needs to change. The USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences suggests a reward structure to stifle misinformation spread, as users often share news without verifying it. The PTA can implement a grading system for accounts, awarding five stars for highly credible sources and negative ratings for those sharing fake news. Additionally, academia should be consulted, as misinformation primarily affects youth. The AlOU Mass Communication Department, led by Dr. Saqib Riaz, is exemplary in this field, and Punjab University also contributes positively. Collaborating with computer science experts can foster innovative projects to combat fake news on social media.
Secondly, at present, there are certain AI tools which are in the vogue must be employed with local settings in order to purge our social discussion platforms. Fabula AI was employed by Twitter in 2019. What it sets out to do- its spots the spread of misinformation pattern. And even if certain fake news is repeated by certain user, it also employs deep learning algorithm to understand the intent of the user. While Grover is another AI tool which process the language and applies algorithm to detect misinformation. Similarly, Defudger makes valuable addition to AI tool panoply. It is employed for the authentication of video content. It instantly detects deep fake videos.
Thirdly, a big knockout to misinformation is strategic communication which holds that there should be coordination and consistency among actions, spoken words and images released. If there is inconsistency among these factors, it creates the room for misinformation or misinterpretations. Social media which is public sphere is open to public debate. People are much critical on social media space and spread stuff to increase the audience on their accounts. Further, no information vacuum should be allowed which originates misinformation. Information vacuum on social media is fatal and often cause damage within few hours. Timely response with maximum outreach quashes the fake news before it reaches its culmination point while consistent statements enhance credibility. Take the case of Trump supporters attacked Capitol Building, a fake video was posted by group of Trump supporters where they claimed that police would not stop them, fake news spread, but there was meagre rebuttal of authorities on social media during this happening which ultimately resulted in real attack.
In hindsight, disinformation is an intricate issue which even technological advanced countries has been unable to control or if it is controlled at the cost of economic development putting embargoes on internet, it would be a pyrrhic victory. However, misinformation or misinterpretations can be tamed only through effective government’s presence on social media, incorporation of AI tools and changing the culture of social media users.
—The writer is PhD Scholar at AIOU
