1
Subramanyan
Ashwath Subramanyan
Professor Mary Hays
Rhet 105
January 22, 2017
Word Count: 575
The Disconcerting Nature of the Impact of Fake News on Our Society
Fake News has been something of a buzzword in a politically impassioned year. There were three majorBlack Swan events, two of which were geopolitical – of these two events, Trump’s Election and Brexit, I examine the stunning influence of Fake News on those outcomes.
The thesis of the New York Times articleis strong, the author, Amanda Taub, claims that fake news is not simply the result of algorithmic errors or discrepancies in the fundamental code of websites and search engines like Facebook and Google, but a result of partisanship from fervent supporters of certain political parties. However, to further appreciate the exigence of this topic, it's critical to understand what Fake News is; Wikipedia describes Fake news websites as sites that deliberately publish hoaxes, propaganda, and disinformation to drive web traffic inflamed by social media. These websites rely upon traffic to generate advertising revenue. Further insight was provided via the Snopes website; “the sharp increase in popularity of social media networks has created a predatory secondary market among online publishers seeking to profitably exploit the large reach of these networks.”. Social networks provide a unique opportunity to publicly declare stances to the world.
The claim made by the author was directly stated and was supported through interviews and insights of reputable figures in the field, namely; Mr. Westwood and Mr. Iyengar. Westwood makes an eye-opening statement which really struck a chord with me: “… in the modern era we view party identity as something akin to gender, ethnicity or race – the core traits we use to describe ourselves to others.” This, amongst other factors, makes the current political setup a zero-sum game to all, “it’s about helping their teamwin, and making sure the other team loses.” Upon further inspection, the usage of the word ‘tribe’ throughout this article is indicative, with many of the partisanindividualsseeming rash and impulsive.
I resonated strongly with the theme in the New York Times article. The country finds itself in a socio-economic tipping point, a stage in time where groups of different demographics must band together rather than let the legacy of this election be a lasting fallout. For example, the financial markets have experienced unexpected gains ever since Trump’s victory and has thrived in spite of Wall Street’s initial desires for a Clinton presidency. However, this is just one such component of the national and global outlook, members of society must similarly bond together and navigate this unstable tide.While the sabotaging of the election season still leaving a bitter taste in many a mouth, this article personally made me realize that it is far more productive to accept the reality of the situation and put political stances aside. It is better to move on and not let this disappointment hinder my greater goals.
Some questions remain following the fallout of this election that have been raised by this article. How will relationship dynamics change in the future, can spouses have differing political opinions? How can social media reduce the spreading of fake news? Can the nation move forward after a drawn out and heavy election season? Looking forward to finding out in the months ahead.