Fake News - What's Wrong With Twitter and Facebook

Introduction

The mainstream media serves as channel access to information. It has been in existence for a long time and gives factual information which follows the ethical principles in journalism. However, it is assumed that, in recent times, majority of Ghanaians access their news through social networking sites such as Whatsapp, Twitter, and Facebook since the advent of the internet. These social networking sites allow users to get access to news easily. In effect, various forms of media bias have long existed. While on one hand, it serves as a communication tool. This analysis Twitter, Facebook paper seeks to examine how these platforms share and operate with fake news.

On the other hand, it also serves as a means for some users to spread false information on these platforms dubbed fake news. This study therefore seeks to focus on social media sites; Facebook and Twitter. Lin, asserts that there are 2.45 billion monthly Facebook users while Twitter has 330 million monthly active users. For this study, data will be collected from the students of the Ghana Institute of Journalism.

Background

Fake news is a “factually doubtful content that emulates the format of journalism but is produced with no regard for precision or fairness'. Allcott and Gentzkow assert that 'fake news' is news articles that are intentionally and verifiably false, and could deceive readers. Fake news emerged as an issue after the 2016 US election, in which the most widely circulated stories in the last three months of the campaign came from false websites and hyperpartisan blogs. These stories were shared with much greater frequency than any of the top news articles from major news media, generating over 8.7 million shares, comments, and likes.

While much has been made of this being a critical moment in media manipulation, it could be argued that this was more likely the point at which we became critically aware of these issues.

Fake news about current social or political subjects is distributed on social media with great speed. These fake stories or hoaxes – deliberately or not – misinform or deceive audiences. Usually, these stories are created to either influence people's views, push a political agenda or cause misunderstanding and can often be a profitable business for online publishers. Moreover, these stories are share shared aggressively by social media users.

Fake news stories can deceive people since their sources are mainly using names and web addresses similar to reputable news organizations. Various media organisations have social media accounts allowing them to share information with the audience. There are also cases where fake news is produced by mistake, but it might also confuse and mislead audiences.

Many people consume news and are informed about current political and social affairs from social media platforms and networks, and it can often be difficult to tell whether stories are believable or not. Information excess and a general lack of understanding of how the internet works, have also contributed to an increase in the fake news or hoax stories. Both social media and users can play a big part in increasing the spread of these types of stories.

In contrast to the related Concept of Rumors, that is, information received without credible source, or ambiguous information that can be either proven true or false, fake news can be characterized as often being misleading. However, someone spreading the story is not necessarily aware that it is false. Verifying it may be more difficult for some than for others, depending on various internal and external factors. Fake news often uses startling language and is regularly presented with the help of clickbait characteristics.

Although the intention of the outlets and individuals who are spreading fake news are more difficult to investigate than the content of fake news or the user perception, researchers have come to an agreement that the dissemination of fake news is often linked to political intents or financial benefits expected by the sender. In Ghana, there has been no law formulated against fake news. However, if a post shared online or on any social media platform is found to be defamatory, the person will face the law. Some counties have formulated laws against the dissemination fake news on social media. However, not too many countries have come up with laws to combat fake news. Countries such as Singapore, Germany, France, Russia, and the European Union (EU) are the only countries that have passed laws to combat fake news. Moreover, in Malaysia person found guilty of spreading or disseminating false information online serve up to six years in jail. The basic issue, is how to tackle fake news head-on though calming the very foundation of democratic systems that promote freedom of speech. 

Statement of the Problem

The purpose of this study is to understand how social media promotes fake news in this digital age, the unavailability of laws by the government to tackle the issue and most importantly, the influence fake news on social media has on student journalist who are ready for the job market.

New digital platforms such as social media sites allow individuals to get access to information easily. Social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, daily, see news stories being shared on the platform which is likely not verified. In effect, social media users may end up reading untrue stories.

Significance of the Study

Fake news on social media is an extremely topical area at the moment, due to the rise of social media use, advances in technology, and the lots sources of information. Due to the reason that, it is a new and rapidly advancing area. There has been little research conducted in the area to date. A study by Ahiabenu, Peasah, and Sam in 2018, focus on how the menace of fake news on social media in Ghana can be combated. In light of that, this study focus on how the spread of fake news on social media can have an influence on final year students of the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) who are ready for the job market.

The study will offer recommendations to persons, most importantly final year students of GIJ, that will aid them to identify a news story on social media that has the characteristics of fake news. In addition, the study will serve as a relevant research material for students and researchers alike who wish to conduct further research on the subject matter.

Scope of the Study

The study focus on social media as a platform for promoting the spread of fake news in this digital age. In doing so, two social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook will be used in analyzing the spread of fake news.

The aspect the study will focus on how social media promotes fake news, the impact social media has on final year students of Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) and the measures to combat the spread of fake news on social media in Ghana.

Questionnaires would be distributed to the final year students of the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ), both diploma and degree students to acquire data on the subject. The Yamane formula is used to get the actual sample size for the study. The study takes take four (4) months. The population of the study will be GIJ students because it assumed that most students have access to these social networking platforms.

Summary

The first chapter of this study opens with the introduction and background of the study and further describes the emergence of fake new and key element in the dissemination fake news on social media platforms. This is followed by the research objectives, research questions and significance of the study. The chapter concludes with the organization of the research study.