How Fake News Goes Viral

[Wilber]

8 minutes ago, DogOnPorch said:

The whole 1984-esque filtering of what is news and what is not SHOULD disturb you.

Who decides??

Who said it doesn't disturb me. 

[DogOnPorch]

3 hours ago, Wilber said:

Who said it doesn't disturb me. 

 

What is fake news?

[Wilber]

9 hours ago, DogOnPorch said:

 

What is fake news?

Technically there is no such thing as "fake" news. If it is fake, it isn't news, just a fictional story.

For the purposes of this discussion, fake news would be a fiction that is intentionally presented as fact. A lie.

[cybercoma]

22 hours ago, DogOnPorch said:

Luckily, you're too smart to be fooled by fake news. Unlike the unwashed masses.

Given how much fake news and propaganda is shared around facebook, the unwashed masses can get bent. But they're not the problem. The problem is people like you who know better, but still don't think critically about your sources and push fake sources as part of your propaganda campaign.

[cybercoma]

20 hours ago, bcsapper said:

Why would people get their news from Facebook when there is a plethora of well respected news sites a click away?  It's completely beyond me.

People visit Facebook and other social media sites daily. It aggregates things and presents them to you. The problem is they've developed algorithms to deliver content that they think you want to see. Those same algorithms are responsible for proliferating fake news, based on people sharing articles without reading past titles or verifying their contents.

[cybercoma]

20 hours ago, Bonam said:

Many of the articles shared/linked on Facebook ARE from well respected news sites, but of course many others are not. 

The other problem is content crafting through algorithms. Lots of ink has been spilled on this topic already:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/why-facebook-and-google-are-struggling-to-purge-fake-news/2016/11/15/85022897-f765-422e-9f53-c720d1f20071_story.html

https://techcrunch.com/2016/11/10/facebook-admits-it-must-do-more-to-stop-the-spread-of-misinformation-on-its-platform/

http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2016/11/the_problem_with_facebook_runs_much_deeper_than_fake_news.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/15/opinion/mark-zuckerberg-is-in-denial.html

[cybercoma]

19 hours ago, bush_cheney2004 said:

"facts" are suspect.

There's no point discussing anything with you, if you don't understand or even accept facts.

[cybercoma]

10 hours ago, DogOnPorch said:

What is fake news?

An article stating that "Trump was endorsed by Pope Francis" is fake news. An article saying "Christmas lights were banned in Sweden to avoid angering Muslims" is fake news.

If you have to ask "who decides what's true and fake" then you're part of the problem. If you can't understand the difference between truth and fiction, then you're in a lot of trouble.

[cybercoma]

If you need more examples of fake news, spend 30 seconds on Snopes and you'll see the kind of garbage that, bereft of fact and context, is spread all over the internet.

Edited December 2, 2016 by cybercoma

[bush_cheney2004]

22 minutes ago, cybercoma said:

There's no point discussing anything with you, if you don't understand or even accept facts.

 

"News" has been democratized with technology...."news" is now just CONTENT.  Understand that......

[cybercoma]

Just now, bush_cheney2004 said:

"News" has been democratized with technology...."news" is now just CONTENT.  Understand that......

Content is not news. The problem is you don't know what news is, but that's fine. There's resources out there to help you, if you cared to learn.

[bush_cheney2004]

6 minutes ago, cybercoma said:

Content is not news. The problem is you don't know what news is, but that's fine. There's resources out there to help you, if you cared to learn.

 

Of course it's fine....nobody needs such smug approval.   See, I really don't care what you believe, but you are very concerned about what others believe is "news" or "facts", and the resources they use to obtain same.   "News" has been democratized...don't you like democracy ? 

[cybercoma]

11 minutes ago, bush_cheney2004 said:

Of course it's fine....nobody needs such smug approval.   See, I really don't care what you believe, but you are very concerned about what others believe is "news" or "facts", and the resources they use to obtain same.   "News" has been democratized...don't you like democracy ? 

You demonstrate Isaac Asimov's quote perfectly:

“There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.”

[bush_cheney2004]

3 minutes ago, cybercoma said:

You demonstrate Isaac Asimov's quote perfectly:

“There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.”

 

Thank you for confirming that the United States and Americans figure so prominently in your world view.   American media and "news" dominates Canada...."even the CDC".

Edited December 2, 2016 by bush_cheney2004

[DogOnPorch]

53 minutes ago, cybercoma said:

An article stating that "Trump was endorsed by Pope Francis" is fake news. An article saying "Christmas lights were banned in Sweden to avoid angering Muslims" is fake news.

If you have to ask "who decides what's true and fake" then you're part of the problem. If you can't understand the difference between truth and fiction, then you're in a lot of trouble.

 

My point exactly: why do YOU need somebody deciding what is fake or real? Didn't South Park cover that too???

I enjoy how you portray yourself as enlightened above and beyond the mere dirty hordes. There's always that hint of superiority and looking down your nose...luv it.

1 hour ago, Wilber said:

Technically there is no such thing as "fake" news. If it is fake, it isn't news, just a fictional story.

For the purposes of this discussion, fake news would be a fiction that is intentionally presented as fact. A lie.

 

You're free to allow Zuckerberg & crew dictate the truth. What could go wrong?

[Wilber]

6 minutes ago, DogOnPorch said:

 

You're free to allow Zuckerberg & crew dictate the truth. What could go wrong?

What are you talking about?

[bush_cheney2004]

7 minutes ago, DogOnPorch said:

My point exactly: why do YOU need somebody deciding what is fake or real? Didn't South Park cover that too???

 

Indeed...South Park mocks his greatest fears....been doing it for years.   Dumb 'muricans !

[DogOnPorch]

Just now, Wilber said:

What are you talking about?

Deciding what is fake...unless you've been under a rock, Zuckerberg and similar Net-Gurus are proposing aps and filters to weed out that fake news FOR YOU.

Again...what could go wrong?

 

[Wilber]

49 minutes ago, DogOnPorch said:

Deciding what is fake...unless you've been under a rock, Zuckerberg and similar Net-Gurus are proposing aps and filters to weed out that fake news FOR YOU.

Again...what could go wrong?

 

What do you want me to do about it? Other than family and friend news which I get from my wife's Facebook and Instagram pages, I don't get any news from social media. I don't have a Twitter account either. It's only a problem for those who do. Facebook et al are not news agencies, they don't produce or post the content on their sites. Buyer beware. 

Edited December 2, 2016 by Wilber

[DogOnPorch]

34 minutes ago, Wilber said:

What do you want me to do about it? Other than family and friend news which I get from my wife's Facebook and Instagram pages, I don't get any news from social media. I don't have a Twitter account either. It's only a problem for those who do. Facebook et al are not news agencies, they don't produce or post the content on their sites. Buyer beware. 

 

Then your of the few...not the many. But, then, you probably recall when they made video games about movies...as opposed to movies about video games.

As do I...

[Wilber]

4 minutes ago, DogOnPorch said:

 

But, then, you probably recall when they made video games about movies...as opposed to movies about video games.

As do I...

I'm not into either but those who are need to be far more critical of their news sources than do I. Even so, mainstream news organizations are not always above having a bias and they do make mistakes, especially in an era when being first on air with a story makes properly fact checking first, less of a priority. 

There is a difference between interpreting something that did happen and making up something that never happened.

[Bonam]

2 hours ago, DogOnPorch said:

You're free to allow Zuckerberg & crew dictate the truth. What could go wrong?

Good photo to illustrate our future dystopia...

[Bonam]

3 hours ago, cybercoma said:

The other problem is content crafting through algorithms. Lots of ink has been spilled on this topic already:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/why-facebook-and-google-are-struggling-to-purge-fake-news/2016/11/15/85022897-f765-422e-9f53-c720d1f20071_story.html

https://techcrunch.com/2016/11/10/facebook-admits-it-must-do-more-to-stop-the-spread-of-misinformation-on-its-platform/

http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2016/11/the_problem_with_facebook_runs_much_deeper_than_fake_news.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/15/opinion/mark-zuckerberg-is-in-denial.html

Yeah I've seen some of those already. I agree that there are certainly issues caused by how news if presented to people via Facebook. I've seen plenty of nonsense in my own feed, mostly from the other side, since most of the people I know here in Seattle are all lefties it's a never-ending stream of social justice nonsense that they all obsess over. I was just answering the question that was asked. 

Edited December 2, 2016 by Bonam

[DogOnPorch]

4 minutes ago, Bonam said:

Yeah I've seen some of those already. I agree that there are certainly issues caused by how news if presented to people via Facebook. I've seen plenty of nonsense in my own feed, mostly from the other side, since most of the people I know here in Seattle are all lefties it's a never-ending stream of social justice nonsense that they all obsess over. I was just answering the question that was asked. 

 

Yes...same here re: endless SJW actions from my 'liberal' friends.

Re: scary photo...Brave New World or what? Who let the Gammas vote??

[Omni]

I see Megyn Kelly had to apologize to Hillary after quoting the "bucket of losers" fake news thingy. Of course if you get your news from Fox/Faux then you may find yourself in that same bucket.