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“500 Books You’re a Fool for Not Having Read Already” and more.

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Does fake news spread faster than the truth?

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Does fake news spread faster than the truth?

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Aral thinks that relative success of false news stories on Twitter might have something to do with people's desire to say, and share, things that they find surprising or different. "When people share novel information their status goes up," says Aral. And false news, it turns out, tends to be a lot more novel than the truth.

To sort out false news from the truth, Aral started with around 3,000 news stories that had been classified as fact or fiction by six fact-checking organisations, including Snopes, PolitiFact and FactCheck. He then looked at Twitter accounts that had mentioned or shared these stories, and compared how often and widely false stories were shared in comparison with truthful news.

While individual tweets about truthful stories only rarely reached an audience of more than 1,000 people, the top one per cent of false news stories routinely reached between 1,000 and 100,000 people. Truthful tweets also spread much more slowly than false ones, taking on average six times as long to reach an audience of 1,500 people.

Of all the different types of news Aral and his colleagues studied, they found that political news was more likely to go viral than any other kind. Conspiracy theories that Barack Obama wasn't born in the United States and that Hillary Clinton was seriously ill during the 2016 presidential election were particularly prominent in the dataset, with the number of false tweets spiking during election years.

While this is the largest study of its kind on Twitter, it's much harder to interrogate Facebook data to work out if false news spreads the same way on that platform. And despite the evidence of the success of false tweets on Twitter, it's even harder to know what impact false tweets have had on elections, or on politics more generally. "I have not seen conclusive evidence that social media is causing political polarisation," Aral says. "But I also don't believe that this is a nothing issue. I do believe that this is a very serious problem."

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Humans, not bots, are to blame for spreading false news on Twitter

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Aral thinks that relative success of false news stories on Twitter might have something to do with people's desire to say, and share, things that they find surprising or different. "When people share novel information their status goes up," says Aral. And false news, it turns out, tends to be a lot more novel than the truth.

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Aeon: A magazine of ideas and culture. We publish in-depth essays, incisive articles, and a mix of original and curated videos — free to all.

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Aeon: A magazine of ideas and culture. We publish in-depth essays, incisive articles, and a mix of original and curated videos — free to all.

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Aeon is a magazine of ideas and culture. We publish in-depth essays from the world's most incisive and ambitious thinkers, and a mix of original and curated videos - free to all.

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The Big Think:  the leading source of expert-driven, actionable, educational content

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The Big Think:  the leading source of expert-driven, actionable, educational content

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Actionable lessons from the world’s greatest thinkers and doers.

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Selection of excellent educational maths and literacy games, organised by topic and age group - Topmarks

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Random Question Generator: Try and speak for 3 minutes without hesitation or using 'like' in the wrong context!

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Random Question Generator: Try and speak for 3 minutes without hesitation or using 'like' in the wrong context!

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Hundreds of random conversation starters on dozens of subjects. Perfect for ESL classes, teaching English online, or just having fun on a rainy day.

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If Your Teenagers Just Need Some Space, Get Them Hooked on One of These Podcasts

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Our picks dive into everything from mental health to the world of YouTubers.

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A dictionary for learning

Whether you're looking up a specific word or just browsing, you'll find a universe of friendly explanations and fun activities designed to educate and entertain.

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A scientific and fun way to improve vocabulary

Play games and compete in activities on your own or with participants from around the globe. With our advanced teaching algorithm and study tools, get ready for your vocabulary to expand!

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Find out how strong your vocabulary is and learn new words at Vocabulary.com.

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Whether you're looking up a specific word or just browsing, you'll find a universe of friendly explanations and fun activities designed to educate and entertain. Learn more Play games and compete in activities on your own or with participants from around the globe.

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Looking for your child's next book or a reading list on a certain issue? Discover some of the best new books, as well as the children's classics waiting to be re-discovered. From babies to teenagers, we've got it covered!

Great Books Guide

Our 100 favourite children's books from the past year, for teeny babies all the way up to 11 year olds. The right book is what a child wants to read - and we hope this guide helps you find it.
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Looking for your child's next book or a reading list on a certain issue? Discover some of the best new books, as well as the children's classics waiting to be re-discovered. From babies to teenagers, we've got it covered! Our 100 favourite children's books from the past year, for teeny babies all the way up to 11 year olds.

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Do you want to become a great writer? Then, perhaps you'd like this article.

A few days ago, I was watching Carrie (1976). It's based on a novel written by the legendary Stephen King. Not just 'any novel', his 'first novel'.

While I was watching it, I was noticing how well-crafted the story was, how in-depth the plot was, etc.

Credit goes to the director too but to convey deep messages through a horror movie, which leaves you disturbed and thinking, isn't an easy feat. From the beginning to the end, the movie maintained an unspeakable dread.

And this made me wonder, "What makes a great writer stand out?"

Being a great writer must feel special, too. After all, you have a lot of riches, fame, and fans by your side. Joining the ranks of JK Rowling, James Patterson, Stephen King, and other legends isn't easy.

But we can break the stuff down, can't we? So, let's get started:

Imagination > Craft

You can read all about the technical aspects of creative writing but if you focus too much on them, then you might miss the mark.

Writing is an art so you should treat it accordingly.

The reason these legendary writers reached such high levels of success is they focused on the creative aspect of writing. The market is filled with cliche stories in every genre. You have the same love stories, horror stories, sci-fi stories and all other stories plaguing the minds of the readers.

People are bored with reading things again and again. Spice things up. Give a unique take to something.

Playing on Strengths

JK Rowling is amazing at twists. Her Harry Potter stories were filled with unexpected sequences that boggled the readers' minds.

Just like her, I'm certain you have a unique strength too. Maybe you're great at building suspense. Or, maybe you're great at showing emotions.

Whatever strength you have, you should focus on it. It makes your writing powerful. And it has an added benefit too. You see, every writer has flaws. No one can be perfect. But when you're playing by your strengths, your weaknesses get buried within them. The reader can't concentrate on criticizing your writing because he/she is already distracted by your powerful writing.

So whatever strength you have, be sure to show it off. (Just like bodybuilders.)

Unsatisfied Readers

Ever finished watching a movie and thought, "Hey, I didn't understand the ending, maybe I should watch it again?"

You watch the movie again, not because it's complicated but because you wanted it to make complete sense in your mind. By the end of the movie, you realized that the storyteller was giving you hints, which you missed before and now you want to catch every one of them.

Your writing should be like that.

Don't tell them everything. Just drop in a few hints here and there. Let them guess the ending, make connections, and think of all sorts of things. Let them do the work because a story is incomplete without a reader. And this brings me to my next point...

Let them Imagine

Here's the thing about fiction writing:

You're not teaching anything.

You're just telling a story.

When you're only telling a story, you don't have to divulge every detail. The reader doesn't need to know how intricate the fiber of the curtain is, or how red the Sun is when it's rising.

If it doesn't have anything related to the story, leave it. It's of no use. It'll only distract the reader from the main highlight. Such details are boring and if they aren't related to the main story, you shouldn't include them in your story. Period.

Focus on Experiences rather than Story

Storytelling is an art. And in fiction writing, you really want to master this art.

A funny thing about storytelling is, when you master it, you no longer tell a story, you actually sell an experience.

Yes, an experience.

Use imagery, metaphors, similes and, if needed, visuals, to make your story an experience. The spacing between your words, your word selection, your paragraph size, they all play vital roles in this regard. Dive into the details and let the reader visualize stuff. They should feel like they're watching everything in real time.

For example, here's a little event:

"The hero is holding a pen and he's about to sign the paper"

And here's another explanation of the event:

"With trembling hands, as if he was in the blistering cold, he grabbed a hold of the pen. Sweat drops tread through his forehead as he reads the paper. His hand moves ahead, but all the while he wants to stop. His pupils expand and his throat feels dry. Still, he moves ahead."

(Be the judge, and let me know if it was a good example.)

As you can see, the second one was more vivid. You can visualize the protagonist, can't you?

I'm no great writer but I hope you get an idea.

If you're a non-fiction writer, then it doesn't mean you can't use these tips. In fact, with the help of this knowledge, you can get ahead of your other sweat-drenched-non-fiction writing friends.

Although some tips are obvious, here a few ones you can learn from legendary fiction writers:

Embrace Creativity

Non-fiction is practical and more down-to-earth but it requires imagination too.

Imagination (and creativity) are powerful tools that can help you create compelling copy and help you engage with your readers. You can connect with them on a deeper level. You can explain difficult subjects in simple manners. You can make your writing more interesting. Or, you can keep things as they are.

The best example of creativity in non-fiction is of storytelling. Suppose you're explaining your past or discussing a case study. What will make the explanation enjoyable? Can readers imagine the scenario through your words?

Usage of metaphors is another fine example of creativity-infused non-fiction. Think of your writing as a garden. Your imagination can fill it with any kind of flowers, from roses to lilies, the possibilities are endless. And the best part is, you can add or remove the flowers at your own will.

Focus on the Journey

Great writers focus on the experience rather than the story. By explaining vivid scenes, they are able to turn the story into an experience.

As a non-fiction writer, you should aim at the experience too rather than the story. Can the reader feel the emotions you're conveying? Is your writing clear? If you want to make your audience read your whole article, you'd need to create an experience. You can do so by adding a few anecdotes here and there. What inspired you to write the article? How did you write the copy? Is there an analogy you can use for your article?

Let the reader experience everything and then utilize the next point.

Leave them wanting more

This advice works on everything actually. You should always leave your readers wanting more. Give them a reason to come back and read your article again. Use cliffhangers in between your paragraphs just like fiction writers do in-between their chapters.

How can you do that?

Well, for starters, keep your introduction enticing. It should make them realize what to expect. In the body, make sure you keep everything consistent, according to your voice and interesting enough. Finally, while concluding the article, make sure to add a little CTA or a little mention about some other relevant things you've written. Or, you can just keep the conclusion friendly and let your quality make them wanting more.

While you should keep these things in mind, remember that your enjoyment is also necessary. Enjoy this stuff, otherwise you'd only bore the reader.

A reader can feel it if you wrote the piece with interest or not. It shows.

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What makes a great writer different from average writers?

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Do you want to become a great writer? Then, perhaps you'd like this article. A few days ago, I was watching Carrie (1976). It's based on a novel written by the legendary Stephen King. Not just 'any novel', his 'first novel'.

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Do you like learning about English grammar? In this section you can learn grammar rules and play games to help you understand. You can also print activities, tests and reference cards to help you learn and remember.

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Talks by brilliant kids and teens | TED Talks

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Talks from scientists, musicians, innovators, activists -- all under the age of 20. Watch these amazing wunderkinds.

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Knowledge is Beautiful, my new book — Information is Beautiful

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Find out about Knowledge is Beautiful, the new infographic ultra-tome from David McCandless, author of Information is Beautiful. Released Autumn 2014.

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With a panel of celebrated authors, TIME presents the most compelling, enlightening and influential YA books of all time, dating back to the 1800s

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Be inspired and discover your child’s next favourite book with the BookTrust Bookfinder: search by theme and age, from babies and toddlers all the way up to teenagers.