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The fake news phenomenon is something that worries me at a local level: friends and family. I'm constantly bombarded by forwarded messages from them that don't

The fake news phenomenon is something that worries me at a local level: friends and family. I'm constantly bombarded by forwarded messages from them that don't pass a simple cursory review and are 99% fake if you dig further. I've tried to combat this by researching what's forwarded to me and pointing that out (including how I discovered it was false) but people either don't reply back or get hostile, assuming I'm one of the "others" (because these messages are usually trying to instill people to hate something). I have _never_ received a thank you from anyone for this and nobody ever apologized back, and I try to be extra polite when pointing these errors. I've left various chat groups and feel my energy is depleted to continue on this fight. It amazes me that people default to a "believe in everything that comes from WhatsApp/FB/Instagram" mentality versus distrusting the Internet completely (which would be more sensible if coupled with a minimum amount of research on what's shared with you).

gambler 8y ago
I feel most people who trust social media for news are super-late Internet adopters who don't quite understand how any of this stuff works. I know some older (but not old, really) people who use Facebook without understanding the boundary between Facebook and the rest of the web. They just see text on the screen and make arbitrary assumptions on where it's coming from. This is the price society is paying for making social media "accessible" through phone apps and such.
- markhall 8y ago
  This is a great point. I wonder what studies, if any, has been done on age/tech experience vs susceptibility to believing fake news.
- twblalock 8y ago
  I know millenials who fall for fake news just as much as older people do.
helveticastand 8y ago
A lot of people with that mindset really don't care where it comes from. Like you said, they're in part trying to fuel some hatred towards a particular person or group of people. It simply exists to propogate ideas in those who are unwilling to listen to any sort of reason, who will then spread and share these ideas with others. These people are perfectly fine living in a bubble and feeding off of each other all because they are unwilling to form their own opinions and face the facts, imagined or real.
markhall 8y ago
I've had very similar experiences and find it really frustrating. People inherently don't like being wrong, don't like being proven to be gullible and are less likely to believe information that doesn't reaffirm their beliefs. It's a scary issue that's only likely to get worse.
pjc50 8y ago
"Belonging" and "gnosticism" are the drivers. Belonging: people are really desperate for things to participate in and cheerlead. It doesn't matter if it's true, and (rather like the famous paper on criminal signalling) it's better if it's not. Because that demonstrates that the people who listen to what you say believe in you. Conversely, by contradicting people you're showing them that you don't belong together. Gnosticism: salvation through secret knowledge. The public sphere is compromised, so the best kind of knowledge is forbidden and non-mainstream. "Doctors don't want you to know this". In a way, every false chain letter is a tiny cult.
mr_toad 8y ago
Superstition, gossip and rumours have been around since long before the internet. I’d also doubt that half of the people spreading these stories believe half of what they’re saying. Some people just like the attention.
jackvalentine 8y ago
> I've left various chat groups and feel my energy is depleted to continue on this fight. Basically the worst part about the fake news issue - the sheer volume of it makes it in effect impossible to deal with at an individual level.

gambler 8y ago

I feel most people who trust social media for news are super-late Internet adopters who don't quite understand how any of this stuff works. I know some older (but not old, really) people who use Facebook without understanding the boundary between Facebook and the rest of the web. They just see text on the screen and make arbitrary assumptions on where it's coming from. This is the price society is paying for making social media "accessible" through phone apps and such.

markhall 8y ago
This is a great point. I wonder what studies, if any, has been done on age/tech experience vs susceptibility to believing fake news.
twblalock 8y ago
I know millenials who fall for fake news just as much as older people do.

helveticastand 8y ago

A lot of people with that mindset really don't care where it comes from. Like you said, they're in part trying to fuel some hatred towards a particular person or group of people. It simply exists to propogate ideas in those who are unwilling to listen to any sort of reason, who will then spread and share these ideas with others. These people are perfectly fine living in a bubble and feeding off of each other all because they are unwilling to form their own opinions and face the facts, imagined or real.

markhall 8y ago

I've had very similar experiences and find it really frustrating. People inherently don't like being wrong, don't like being proven to be gullible and are less likely to believe information that doesn't reaffirm their beliefs. It's a scary issue that's only likely to get worse.

pjc50 8y ago

"Belonging" and "gnosticism" are the drivers. Belonging: people are really desperate for things to participate in and cheerlead. It doesn't matter if it's true, and (rather like the famous paper on criminal signalling) it's better if it's not. Because that demonstrates that the people who listen to what you say believe in you. Conversely, by contradicting people you're showing them that you don't belong together. Gnosticism: salvation through secret knowledge. The public sphere is compromised, so the best kind of knowledge is forbidden and non-mainstream. "Doctors don't want you to know this". In a way, every false chain letter is a tiny cult.

mr_toad 8y ago

Superstition, gossip and rumours have been around since long before the internet. I’d also doubt that half of the people spreading these stories believe half of what they’re saying. Some people just like the attention.

jackvalentine 8y ago

> I've left various chat groups and feel my energy is depleted to continue on this fight. Basically the worst part about the fake news issue - the sheer volume of it makes it in effect impossible to deal with at an individual level.