Understanding Fake News: Technology, Affects, and the Politics of the Untruth
This paper provides epistemic and conceptual tools for a better understanding of fake news. It begins by looking for a definition of fake news that distinguishes between fabricated news stories and biased claims, showing that fake news "stricto sensu" is less frequent and influential than...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Universidad Complutense de Madrid
2019-11-01
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| Series: | Historia y Comunicación Social |
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| Online Access: | https://revistas.ucm.es/index.php/HICS/article/view/66298 |
| _version_ | 1818820954735771648 |
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| author | Manuel Arias Maldonado |
| author_facet | Manuel Arias Maldonado |
| author_sort | Manuel Arias Maldonado |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This paper provides epistemic and conceptual tools for a better understanding of fake news. It begins by looking for a definition of fake news that distinguishes between fabricated news stories and biased claims, showing that fake news "stricto sensu" is less frequent and influential than expected. Then a multicausal account is provided that identifies six main drivers for the multiplication and spread of fabricated news: erosion of truth, digitization, changes in journalism, digital illiteracy, emotional biases, rise of populism. Finally, the implications of fake news for democracy are explored. It is suggested that fakes, their statistical irrelevance notwithstanding, contribute to the weakening of trust and the epistemic disorientation of citizens in a digitized public sphere. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-18T23:00:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-20d04011f2434f4da35c995aa6370899 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1137-0734 1988-3056 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-18T23:00:30Z |
| publishDate | 2019-11-01 |
| publisher | Universidad Complutense de Madrid |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Historia y Comunicación Social |
| spelling | doaj.art-20d04011f2434f4da35c995aa63708992022-12-21T20:48:37ZengUniversidad Complutense de MadridHistoria y Comunicación Social1137-07341988-30562019-11-0124210.5209/hics.66298Understanding Fake News: Technology, Affects, and the Politics of the UntruthManuel Arias MaldonadoThis paper provides epistemic and conceptual tools for a better understanding of fake news. It begins by looking for a definition of fake news that distinguishes between fabricated news stories and biased claims, showing that fake news "stricto sensu" is less frequent and influential than expected. Then a multicausal account is provided that identifies six main drivers for the multiplication and spread of fabricated news: erosion of truth, digitization, changes in journalism, digital illiteracy, emotional biases, rise of populism. Finally, the implications of fake news for democracy are explored. It is suggested that fakes, their statistical irrelevance notwithstanding, contribute to the weakening of trust and the epistemic disorientation of citizens in a digitized public sphere.https://revistas.ucm.es/index.php/HICS/article/view/66298Fake newsdigitizationdemocracyaffectspluralism |
| spellingShingle | Manuel Arias Maldonado Understanding Fake News: Technology, Affects, and the Politics of the Untruth Historia y Comunicación Social Fake news digitization democracy affects pluralism |
| title | Understanding Fake News: Technology, Affects, and the Politics of the Untruth |
| title_full | Understanding Fake News: Technology, Affects, and the Politics of the Untruth |
| title_fullStr | Understanding Fake News: Technology, Affects, and the Politics of the Untruth |
| title_full_unstemmed | Understanding Fake News: Technology, Affects, and the Politics of the Untruth |
| title_short | Understanding Fake News: Technology, Affects, and the Politics of the Untruth |
| title_sort | understanding fake news technology affects and the politics of the untruth |
| topic | Fake news digitization democracy affects pluralism |
| url | https://revistas.ucm.es/index.php/HICS/article/view/66298 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT manuelariasmaldonado understandingfakenewstechnologyaffectsandthepoliticsoftheuntruth |