• Thursday, March 28, 2024
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BusinessDay

Fake News: How technology can fight its own invention

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For many reasons – most of which are for self – man has spurn tales that appeared to be true but was all fabrications. To be sure, fake news may outdate technology but it owes it ubiquity and the many vistas it has assumed.

Before the advent of modern technology, spread of fake news depended on one person passing it on to another by word of mouth so its impact was limited, albeit with devastating consequences to the unfortunate few.

Today’s technology has made fake news very popular and borderless. And as it gets sophisticated, even the lines between reality and fake seem to blur. In the US election, an article based on flawed argument claimed that Donald Trump won the popular vote when in reality his opponent Hillary Clinton got about 2.9 million more votes. But the fake information went on a blitz on social media, gaining 4 million shares and engagements to earn world’s biggest fake news title.

“Fake news is gossip on steroids,” says Amaechi Okobi, head of Strategic Brand Management at Access Bank, during a panel session at the ongoing Social Media Week 2019. “It usually it’s malicious in its intent and people take it real because of the credibility of the person pushing it.”

A research from MIT Research unit found that false stories posted on Twitter have 70 per cent more chances of being retweeted than verified news. Similarly, authentic information reaches 1,500 people six times slower than fake news. The information noted that oftentimes people help to spread misleading information even if they realize it is false.

In Nigeria, fake news post and videos on WhatsApp and Facebook have been used by bad actors to encourage ethnic cleansing narratives and stereotypes. In one of the instances, after news of the gruesome murder of over 86 people in 11 communities in Barkin Ladi, Riyom and Jos South local government areas of Plateau State on June, 2018 broke, another report falsely alleged that Miyetti Allah has claimed responsibility, calling it a retaliatory attack.

“Fake news is beyond misrepresentation. It sometimes is deliberate deception that has a lot of consequences,” says Kolawole Osinowo, senior business manager, HMD Global who also sat on the panel organized by communications consultancy firm, Quadrant MSL on Monday.

For companies and even individuals, fake news can lead to financial loss or reputational cost. In 2018, for instance, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu referred to President Buhari as Jubril from Sudan and went further to say that the Nigerian leader was a clone. That had very damaging effect on the reputation of the President who is currently seeking reelection. Similarly, Kanu recently also alleged that PDP presidential candidate was not a Nigerian but a Cameroonian.

Tolulope Adeleru-Balogun, a radio host and TV presenter said there are four ways to identify fake news; consider the source, look for alternative and corroborating sources, Google sources and check individual biases.

“We intend to stay within a group of people who reflect what we believe in,” she says. “We bear a responsibility to be circumspect with what we share. We need to think about where we go to source news. Blogs are not news platforms.”

Laila Ijeoma, a blogger said online users must become anti-fake news ambassadors for the fight to be effective. Users can also use mobile applications that have capabilities to identify fake photos, videos and news. In 2018, Google, Facebook and Twitter signed a code of conduct on how they are going to counteract spreading of false stories. Their goal is to overcome fake accounts and bots, simplify access to authoritative content. How far that code goes depends on the buy-in of the individuals that use the platforms.