Beware! Fake News!
People love stories, especially dramatic ones. Clickbait headlines that exaggerate the truth or change the story completely thrive on our curiosity, grabbing our attention almost immediately. Especially in this age of social media, it takes only a click to share content, even without verification! This leads to widespread misinformation and fake news. Now sure, it wouldn’t hurt if it was just to get people to click on your personal youtube channel or page, but what if fake news was used for political agendas, affecting the whole nation?
Everyone knows political candidates will do anything to win, that the political scene in the Philippines is not a fair playing field. Social media propaganda is being used to either attack or support a political candidate (Gupta et. al., 2023). It is no surprise that politicians take advantage of social media for exposure and to gather people to their side. With the rise of fake news, it has been reported that troll farms are actually equipped during election season in the Philippines: Trolls For Hire In Philippines: The Concealed Political Weapon Used In A Social Media War (Paulo, 2022) Politicians don’t just use social media to make people aware of their campaigns, they also utilize it to spread misinformation or expose opposing candidates.
Misinformation or fake news can foster political apathy by creating confusion and distrust in the political system (Pennycook & Rand, 2018). A survey by Beacon has found that the majority of its respondents are apathetic/uninterested in politics because they do not have trust in the political system nor in any politicians. This issue is affecting our entire country and shouldn’t be taken lightly.
Learn an article about BEACON, a student initiative created to tackle declining voter participation and political disengagement at De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde.
Clickbait and fake news thrive on social media, influencing political views and spreading misinformation. Troll farms are used during elections, leading to distrust and political apathy.
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