Fake news and its rise in a post-internet era, Gemma Billington
The Comma Nov
2020
|
UTSOC.COM.AU/THECOMMA
|
3rd edition
Fake news and its rise in a post-internet era Exclusive Gemma Billington
In a year where we’ve all increasingly turned to the internet, fake news has been allowed to run rampant. We all have to think more critically, writes Gemma Billington.
I
WAS FIRST MADE aware of the term ‘fake news’ when I was about 14 years old. I couldn’t wait to show my mum the wholesome video I had found circulating Facebook of a man performing CPR on a pigeon to revive it. It could have been a lovely moment – full of family ecstasy and thrill. She watched the video, straight faced. She rolled her eyes and said to me, “Have you ever heard of fake news?” I kept my cool, obviously, but I may have been a little disappointed. If it wasn’t for my mother, I may still be watching that video on repeat. But the problem is, it’s becoming
progressively harder to spot fake news. The concept of fake news has gained traction lately for its part in Donald Trump’s rise in the 2016 election and equally, its potential contribution to Hillary Clinton’s downfall. For consistency, I will be defining fake news as the conscious use of false and baseless claims organised to defame someone or something, often with the purpose of fuelling political ambition and political influence. It’s also important to note that as of recently there has been a push to rebrand ‘fake news’ as 58
‘disinformation’ in order to disassociate the term with genuine journalism. This notion has flourished in recent years where the internet, particularly social media, has enabled these voices to be heard, amplified and disseminated.
History The circulation of rumours and disinformation with hopes to defame has likely been synonymous with human development ever since power struggles have existed within societies. While the dissemination of stories via word of mouth probably fulfilled the
