Fake News and How to Stop It

Research Question: Why is “fake news” so hard to identify and what can be done to limit its influence in society?
After considering the information in this week’s instructor guidance and readings, I understand ethos to refer to the credibility of the author, pathos to refer to the emotional substance of the argument, and logos to refer to evidence and logic.

Revised Thesis Statement:
• Internet technologies enable the proliferation of fake news, and only education and awareness can curtail the influence fake news has on society.
Claim #1:
• Prior exposure to the fake news item makes a person more likely to believe that the story is true (Pennycook, Cannon, & Rand, 2017).
Claim #2:
• Mob mentality is at work with fake news, as research shows a viral post is more likely to be perceived as trustworthy even when it is fake (Papanastasiou, 2017).
Counterargument & Rebuttal
• It is too difficult to debunk fake news because the algorithms used in social media sites make it almost impossible to prevent content from going viral (Pennycock & Rand, 2017).
• Just because it is difficult, educating the public about how to detect fake news is still important for a fully functioning democracy.
I developed these claims based on the research I conducted on fake news.
I revised my thesis statement based on the complexity of the argument.
After reading the course materials, I have questions about how to construct an effective counter-claim.
References
“English 122: Composition II An Introduction to Argument,” (n.d.). Ashford University.
Papanastasiou, Y. (2017). Fake news propagation and detection. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3028354
Pennycook, G., Cannon, T.G. & Rand, D.G. (2017). Implausibility and illusory truth. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2958246
Pennycook, G. & Rand, D.G. (2017). The implied truth effect. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3035384
(Rough Draft of a Body Paragraph)
People believe fake news not because they are ignorant or stupid, but because of the way the brain works. Research consistently shows that people favor content that has already gained widespread approval, much in the same way propaganda works. For example, Pennycock & Rand (2017) show that even when a news item has been flagged as being fake, it is still perceived of as real. Confirmation bias is also at play with fake news, as prior exposure to the fake news item makes a person more likely to believe that the story is true (Pennycook, Cannon, & Rand, 2017). Mob mentality may also be at work with fake news, as research shows a viral post is more likely to be perceived as trustworthy even when it is fake (Papanastasiou, 2017). Finally, the format of an online article has a large bearing on how people perceive its veracity. For instance, “in comparison to the condition where there is no hyperlink, each post in which there was some type of hyperlink...had a significantly higher trust level,” (p. 433). Cognitive science may illuminate the ways developers can create algorithms that prevent the proliferation of fake news. Likewise, cognitive science can show how educators can help students to practice critical thinking when they browse the Internet and social media.
References
Papanastasiou, Y. (2017). Fake news propagation and detection. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3028354
Pennycook, G., Cannon, T.G. & Rand, D.G. (2017). Implausibility and illusory truth. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2958246
Pennycook, G. & Rand, D.G. (2017). The implied truth effect. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3035384
Verma, N., Fleischmann, K.R. & Koltai, K.S. (2017). Human values and trust in scientific journals, the mainstream media, and fake news. 80th Annual Meeting of the Association for Information Science & Technology, Washington, DC, VA | Oct. 27-Nov. 1, 2017