Lethal, viral, global: The role of mobile media and the growing international scourge of fake news

• Main Authors: TAN, Gordon Kuo Siong, LIM, Sun Sun, KHENG, Roy
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2021
• Subjects: Communication Technology and New Media; Social Media
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/cis_research/76; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/cis_research/article/1075/viewcontent/TanLimKheng2021Mobilemediaandfakenewspre_print.pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

The rising ubiquity of mobile-enabled devices has greatly accelerated the spread of online disinformation. Media production and dissemination capabilities are within easy reach of consumers, who may become key nodes in sharing fabricated information. Social media platforms’ advertisement-driven revenue models have encouraged the proliferation of viral and inflammatory content, where journalistic best practices are de-emphasized. Furthermore, opaque algorithms favor fake stories that elicit greater emotional responses from users. Increased deregulation has given mobile media companies considerable freedom over content moderation policies. Finally, emerging mobile technologies have enabled more sophisticated and richer forms of fabricated content to be circulated among a global audience.