WHAT THE FAKE?!

In the internet sphere, people get away with being stupid out of genuine ignorance.

However, in an academic institution such as a university, critical thinking is a requirement. So how do people in academe of UEP respond to the issue of fake news and misinformation?

Some people do not really see how dangerous misinformation and fake news are. Fake news are lies that mask as real news. Before, only the powerful has the ability to represent lies as truth. Now, everyone has access to the internet; the lies are not considered as mere representations anymore but are considered as truths because of the notion that "truth is relative," which admit it or not, kind of makes sense. These fake news are used as machinery for power and manipulation.

The keyword is their is "vulnerability," which has also have to do with the cognitive maturity of a person to be open-minded. Spreading fake news repeat such false claims which increases its truthiness.

“ For example, even if a subject correctly answered Pacific Ocean to the question What is the largest ocean on Earth? on the knowledge test, they still tended to give the false statement The Atlantic Ocean is the largest ocean on Earth a higher truth rating if it was repeated ” - David Z. Hambrick and Madeline Marquardt on February 6, 2018 in the article "Cognitive Ability and Vulnerability to Fake News"

Source:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/feb/11/fake-news-long-history-beware-state-involvement

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/cognitive-ability-and-vulnerability-to-fake-news/