幻灯片 by Wenkang Liu

The growing of fake news: "Have you been deceived by fake news?"

wenkangliu1 — 2025-08-12 13:19:25 UTC

Nowadays, people are increasingly dependent on the media's ability to disseminate information. They learn about the outside world through electronic devices and the Internet, especially in areas they were previously unaware of. However, some people attempt to use "fake news" to deceive others' curiosity and desire to explore the media. These people might act out of entertainment, just like the April Fool's Day joke, or they might want to use this fabricated news to make money and take lives, engaging in some illegal activities. The field of fake news is significant for the media and communication. Here, I would like to tell you a story. In the 1980s and 1990s, in China, especially in the areas of Zhejiang and Jiangsu, there was a legend of "kelpie" circulating. The "kelpie" originated from ancient Chinese mythology. However, some reactionary forces took advantage of people's rumors about the "kelpie", causing considerable influence and chaos at that time, resulting in huge losses to the Chinese economy and indirectly leading to the death of many people. This is a real event that tells us the harmfulness of gossip. Moreover, those fake news stories are fundamentally no different from these rumors. If fake news is not dealt with promptly, the consequences of the "water ghost" incident are very likely to occur again.

wenkangliu1 — 2025-08-13 15:42:31 UTC

Question:

How to avoid and distinguish fake news？

Some theories and framework models I have found can solve this problem. In terms of avoiding and preventing fake news, the Media and Information Literacy Course proposed by UNESCO can offer certain assistance. The research on the "Lie Detection" Algorithm provided by Stanford University is capable of calculating the authenticity of the messages people obtain. The Three-pillar model proposed by scholars from Harvard University is specifically aimed at social media platforms. After all, they also bear inescapable responsibility for the emergence and dissemination of false news. The Motivated reasoning proposed by scholars from Yale University studies the motives and reasons behind fake news, which is of great value to the research of this topic. As for scholars and experts, I found Claire Wardle, the founder of "First Draft", who has in-depth research on the classification of fake news, and I believe his research will be helpful to this topic. Similarly, Soroush Vosoughi, an expert from MIT, specializes in the quantitative analysis of fake news dissemination. His analysis holds significant meaning and enlightenment for this subject. Lazer Metzger has also achieved considerable success in the field of "error correction theory". His research can offer some suggestions and references for this subject.

Question research

My preferred qualitative research method for this issue is a case study. It is very appropriate to prove the harmfulness of fake news and the key issues behind it with some practical examples. These practical examples can bring readers a more intuitive feeling. Of course, I will also consider phenomenology, epistemology, or critical theory simultaneously. Phenomenological theories can be referred to for the existence and spread of fake news, and they can also provide specific explanations for people's blindness and trust in fake news. I believe that epistemology can provide some theoretical support for some of my research ideas. Critical theory is aimed explicitly at the harm caused by fake news.

wenkangliu1 — 2025-08-14 13:06:32 UTC

Thanks for listening !

wenkangliu1 — 2025-08-14 13:10:11 UTC