Fake news has become increasingly prevalent in recent years partly due to the realm of social media which has grown in the past decade. Social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook allow one to read the latest news at one swipe, however, with the development of these biased platforms as news outlets, authentic individual perspectives start to diminish. This has evolved into a dangerous trend due to the rise of the fake news phenomenon.
Although fake news is near impossible to eliminate, it is the audience’s responsibility to think critically and not readily accept any false information. This essay will explore the aspects of argument and truth, relevant compositions on fake news, its potential impact, and how individuals should respond to fake news. These days, reason seems to be more of a weapon than a pathway to truth.
People argue for the sake of winning an argument, not seeking the truth. When it comes to effective arguments, the arguer’s priority is to listen to all sides of the dispute, refrain from listening to any false information, and discover the truth through reasonable examination. Truth seeking requires some characteristics: tenacity and humility. Truth seeking takes time, requires a great deal of patience, and one must be willing to admit they are wrong. Along the continuum of arguments, truth seeking “ lays out several alternative approaches to a problem and weighs the strengths and weaknesses of each with no concern for persuasion” (Ramage 11). When one seeks the truth, their first obligation should not be to prove themselves right, but suspend their opinions and preferences to a sense of objectivity. On the other end of the continuum is persuasion where individuals manipulate arguments and data for their own benefit. In today’s society, a great deal of “ distorted assertions” and “ bogus evidence” are used to win arguments, especially in the news.
Moving into fake news, the phenomenon has been around for a long time in many forms, however, it has made its way to social media platforms. Not only can fake news come from an ill informed family member on facebook, but it can be “ created by private companies that care only about the bottom line” (Chen). With the growth of technology and the internet, the proliferation of platforms upon which people get their information does not imply transparency and accuracy; it is actually having the opposite effect.
Adrian Chen’s article “ The Fake News Fallacy” covers a great deal on fake news and how news can be manipulated according to one’s trends on the internet. Chen touched on the topic with a very interesting quote: “ The supposedly neutral platforms use personalized algorithms to feed people information based on precise data models of our preferences, trapping them in “ filter bubbles” that cripple critical thinking and increase polarization.” When you cannot distinguish b/w the truth and fake news you will have a more difficult time solving the issue at stake. Confirmatory biasEngage w/ different perspectives and world views. If individuals do not engage themselves with different outlooks on a certain topic or appreciate the truth, they are blindly walking through life.
Major world leader saying things are fake news, it chips away at the credibility of credible sources but it also chips away at people’s minds. The proliferation of platforms upon which people get their information does not imply transparency and accuracy. It is actually having the opposite effect. People only look at areas of their own interest instead of seeing the big picture. With the algorithms that direct individuals into all types of channels of information. With the emergence of the internet, individuals expect more democracy, more truth and information, but the sad truth is the opposite happened. The proliferation of “ clickbait” Filter the algorithms with a moral compass by judging what is right and wrong and acting accordingly. according toIt is difficult to avoid fake news, however, individuals can protect themselves by being more aware and by strengthening their critical thinking