Author:
ONYEKA UWAKWE

Email: doconyekauwakwe@gmail.com

Paper Title:
Living with Fake News: Social Media and Distortion of Reality

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Publised in OKO JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION SCIENCE    (VOLUME 3 NUMBER 1 FEBRUARY 2020)
Abstract:

With the help of resource applications, the computer, smart phones as well as other Internet-based gadgets, Nigerian journalists can gather and file in stories at a greater speed. So also can amateur-citizen journalists! Technologies have afforded many opportunities in raising individual voices easier, faster, and sometimes, negatively. Today, news stories can be sourced, transmitted and received instantly. Instant discussions on several issues –such as corona virus– by worldwide audiences are now possible.  However, this new media phenomenon is creating some difficulties in understanding reality. Volumes of fake information continue to be transmitted and retransmitted severally among Nigerians leading to distortion of reality and disinformation. This work is largely qualitative. From content analysis of four WhatsApp social media chat groups, the researcher was able to isolate sensitive disinformation capable of causing panic, disaffection and misleading society. The paper concludes that WhatsApp media is saturated with real news, as well as with fake news.

Keywords: Disinformation, Mainstream Media, False News, Social media, Journalism, Fake News, Agenda-setting

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