Challenges of Fake News and Its Impact on Society in the Digital Era : A Critical Analysis

Abstract

Accuracy, objectivity, authenticity and truthfulness are the essential hallmarks of news, which make it credible in the eyes of readers, viewers or even those people, who receive news indirectly. It is this sacredness which gives news a distinct place in society. But the phenomena of fake news target the core values of news, which nurture the personal interest of unsocial elements, rumor mongers or of those high and mighty, who put forward their personal agenda in the garb of news. And when fake news gets digital wings, it turns into viral journalism. If misused, it can spread violence and hatred, wreak havoc and prove to be disastrous for the civil society. Nowadays, fake news has become a big challenge for the news industry as well as the society. The internet revolution has provided a soft ground for spreading fake news and has become the primary cause of misinformation, inaccuracy in news, misleading news stories, half-truths and sometimes highly sensational reporting, done to grab attention of the masses and mislead them. Information on social networking sites gets speed at such a fast pace that distorted, inaccurate or false information acquires a tremendous potential to cause real world impacts, within minutes, for millions of users. Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter and messaging App like WhatsApp have become fertile platforms to spread fake news. Against this backdrop this paper intends to evaluate the challenges of fake news, its impact on the society, government’s role in regulating digital platforms used for spreading fake news, social media’s self-regulation and above all the responsibility of the citizens and the youth, who are the future of the country.