Understanding Fake News: Technology, Affects, and the Politics of the Untruth

• Manuel Arias Maldonado ^[1]
  1. [1] Universidad de Málaga

     Universidad de Málaga

     Málaga, España

     
• Localización: Historia y comunicación social, ISSN 1137-0734, Vol. 24, Nº 2, 2019, págs. 533-546
• Idioma: inglés
• DOI: 10.5209/hics.66298
• Títulos paralelos:
  • Comprender las noticias falsas: la tecnología, los afectos y la política de la mentira
• Enlaces
  • Texto completo
• Dialnet Métricas: 4 Citas
• Resumen
  • español

    Este artículo proporciona herramientas conceptuales y epistémicas para una mejor comprensión de las noticias falsas. En primer lugar, se ofrece una definición de las mismas que distingue entre noticias inventadas y opiniones sesgadas, mostrándose que las "fake news" en sentido estricto son menos frecuentes e influyentes de lo previsto. Después se ofrece una explicación multicausal que identifica seis factores: erosión del concepto de verdad, digitalización, cambios en el periodismo, analfabetismo digital, sesgos emocionales, irrupción del populismo. Por último, se consideran sus implicaciones para la democracia. Se sugiere que las noticias falsas contribuyen al debilitamiento de la confianza y a la desorientación epistémica de los ciudadanos en una esfera pública digitalizada

  • English

    This paper provides epistemic and conceptual tools for a better understanding of fake news. It begins by looking for a definition of fake news that distinguishes between fabricated news stories and biased claims, showing that fake news stricto sensu is less frequent and influential than expected. Then a multicausal account is provided that identifies six main drivers for the multiplication and spread of fabricated news: erosion of truth, digitization, changes in journalism, digital illiteracy, emotional bias-es, rise of populism. Finally, the implications of fake news for democracy are explored. It is suggested that fakes, their statistical irrelevance notwithstanding, contribute to the weakening of trust and the epistemic disorientation of citizens in a digitized public sphere.

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