Fight fake news with real morals

The real threat from fake news online is that it’s now being touted as alt-truth. It’s gaining acceptance, and going mainstream, live. More seriously, conventional media are also resorting to it, to stay alive and relevant. It’s easy to blame social media, messaging apps and services for this level of distrust among people, but there is more to it than meets the eye. We are connected like never before, while our relationships are far from sound. In fact, personal ties are coming under increasing strain as we strive to keep up with the Joneses. A positive spin wrapped in shock appeal is all that we seek in our makebelieve social moments online. We want the best of us to be put out there, instantly, relentlessly. We are living in a reputation economy where looks and feel-good matter. We prefer not to believe or are in a state of denial because the truth might hurt us. So we get stuck on news that is unreliable and unchecked, and one that promises instant gratification.

This is where big firms and governments come in. They know what we like because our facts and foibles are out there. There’s a treasure trove of information for marketers to tap into that makes us happy while we fake it. It’s called big data. This data dabbles in news and gives it multiple layers of meaning through algorithms and bots. We are not ourselves online, and we know it. Yet we feed off what we read and view online. Claims and allegations make news on social media as they are unverified. They’re also fast and fictional. Facts can wait while reputations are besmirched and victims scurry to wash off the stains. What gives us joy can’t be wrong, right? Wrong. As long as it does not hurt our reputation, even that what’s phoney is acceptable. Modern leaders like US President Donald Trump fire the first salvo on social media and wait for reactions and uproars, which also make news. Regular media may rush to publish what is true, some may dig deeper, but social media’s reach is bigger, it has the numbers. Even conventional media is under the umbrella of these networks. Facts are often overwhelmed by these figures. Finally, here’s a fact. Defeating fake news won’t be easy. The campaign will be long and exhausting. Too much fiction has flown under the online bridge. But if our morals are in place and if we are grounded in human values, the truth will set us free.