Editorial . . . . . .
“These days, everyone can be an editor and publish news, especially on social media.” Because everyone has the freedom to utilise the media as they see fit, social media has become a fertile ground for fake and false news. Today’s information technology has progressed to the point where individuals no longer look forward to reading the morning newspaper. Social media has now become a vital part of our daily lives and has a strong hold on our thoughts. As a result, traditional print media is rapidly transforming into online portals. This allows readers to stay up to date with just a click of a button. There is also the spreading of bogus news.
Misinformation and disinformation, such as altered videos, memes, advertising, and social media propaganda or rumours, are conveyed mostly by word of mouth and media, both print and digital, for communication. Fake news is described as stories that appear to be news but are purposefully and verifiably fake, with the potential to misinform and mislead readers.
With the growth of social media, particularly Facebook, What’s an app, Twitter, and News Feed, there has been a dramatic spike in fake news around the world, which sometimes even influences mainstream media. The goal and motivation of fake news are crucial. News satire is when the news appears to be an exaggeration of non-factual material intended to entertain the public. They are, however, completely harmless. Fake news, misinformation, and propaganda are detrimental to society because they have the capacity to polarise public opinion on a single issue, as well as undermine critical social processes.
The term fake news, propaganda and misinformation go side by side and are overlapping as well. Though these are not new, they have taken a new sphere of life due to the widespread availability of sophisticated gadgets about information technology and communication. Now, thanks to social media technologies, news spreads like wildfire and quickly becomes viral. Because so many people today rely on social media for news, it’s critical to understand the impact on society in order to avoid negative consequences. Because the majority of the young generation spends much of their time getting news and information from social media and the internet for their education and entertainment, they are subject to propaganda, misinformation, and fake news.
During the 2019 general election in India, there was a lot of propaganda and fake news to promote political parties. During the CAA movements and the Kashmir crises, the entire social media was bombarded with fake news of various types in order to confuse people and disrupt social harmony. During the demonetization of Indian currencies, word of the implantation of a nano-GPS chip in 2000 rupee currency notes spread quickly and was even broadcast on famous news stations. This is fake news, and a similar form of news is often disseminated in digital media to boost TV broadcasters’ TRP.
Similarly, there is a lot of paid news during the election to promote popularity and to behave in accordance with the political parties’ agendas for their own gain, as well as to mislead the general public. As a result, before believing and distributing news, it is necessary to verify whether the information comes from a named, trustworthy source. Because fake news frequently leaves facts out of context, a critical mindset for articles must be developed, as well as the representation of a certain group or person. If the photographs provided aren’t relevant, they should be checked on Google reverse. It’s important to consider the veracity of the information we get.
To prevent the spread of fake news on social media platforms such as Whatsapp, Facebook, Twitter, and others, initiatives have been taken to educate the public about fake news and even to delete accounts. This is the era of electronic communication, we can’t avoid the internet and social media as there is so much information a click away. There must be strict rules and monitoring from the authority to curb fake news.
Online news portals and social media cannot be avoided; they have a great role in providing information and guidance to society in various fields. We hope that the government of Jammu and Kashmir will launch a well-tailored public awareness campaign to educate the people about such news and legal actions.