Hey Mom... I Think That Article on Facebook is Fake

Whether it would be your parents on Facebook, or those viral photos on Twitter, no one is safe from Fake News. Fake news is this type of propaganda or journalism, that deliberately spreads false information through social media.

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A fake news article that happened semi-recently was the allegation that Travis Scott was cheating on Kylie Jenner. A youtuber by the name Christian Adam G found how easy it was to trick the internet through the fake photos of Justin Bieber unusually eating a burrito. So, he decided to try it for himself
with the help of his friends. Christian Adam G posed as Travis Scott and a random model as a girl whom he was suppose to cheat with. They posed in an affectionate way and the rest of Christian's  group photographed the two as if it was paparazzi taking the photos. Then, they faked a TMZ watermark and released it on social media. Twitter went crazy. Everyone was talking about it, and Travis himself was not happy. Eventually a couple days after the photo went viral, Christian Adam G revealed the photo was fake. In the end this case of fake news was not very harmful, but it can show how easily the public can believe what they see on the internet.


However, it's not just celebrity gossip, or unbelievable headlines. Fake news can have many dangerous consequences. Take the 2016 election as an example. There were studies showing that fake news articles contributed greatly to the disapproval of Hillary Clinton and approval of Donald Trump the day of the election. Fake news can obviously sway the large ignorant population in the wrong way to the masses, to the extent that fake news elected a president. This kind of power is much more than some trolling on the internet. It can ruin careers, people, and politics.

But how do we fight it? There's many ways you can do this. If the post seems too crazy or unbelievable, always be suspicious. Check your sources! If the article cannot provide a source or the author with no credibility, that may very well be a fake news article. If they do provide an author search them up! They might not exist or have no expert credibility. Check the date! All credible sources will provide the day and time the article was posted. Look into the article's sources, if they don't seem credible either you're probably reading a fake article. If you're not too sure, then start asking experts! Look into your article's topic and check if it's true. Basically, just use your common sense. Don't jump to conclusions without knowing if it's true or not.