The map above, created by Professor Jonathan Albright, depicts how fake news was disseminated by right-wing groups through various media. Being immersed in media analytics, Albright mapped out which media sites are often used by these groups to
influence/condition the social mindset. The issue of fake news is very relevant that it has been linked to the results of the 2016 US Presidential elections. Albright argues that these groups influenced the US Presidential elections by tapping into major media sites. He utilized circles to emphasize which sites were used more often and which had a larger impact. The larger the circle, the heavier the impact and the more traffic the site has. He plotted these and mapped the connections between them using medium-scale data analysis. It is interesting to note how a large number of sites included in this map are sites that most of us would read or would share in Facebook. This map emphasizes how important it is to be critical of each news source we read, regardless of what site shared or wrote it. Many credible news establishments have columnists who are largely biased for and against a certain issue or administration. Examples of this would be Mocha Uson and Rigoberto Tiglao who do columns for the Philippine Star and Manila Times respectively. Problems associated with social media have emerged but these same tactics were used when print media had just been invented. It is up to the reader to be critical and to interpret between those lines.
influence/condition the social mindset. The issue of fake news is very relevant that it has been linked to the results of the 2016 US Presidential elections. Albright argues that these groups influenced the US Presidential elections by tapping into major media sites. He utilized circles to emphasize which sites were used more often and which had a larger impact. The larger the circle, the heavier the impact and the more traffic the site has. He plotted these and mapped the connections between them using medium-scale data analysis. It is interesting to note how a large number of sites included in this map are sites that most of us would read or would share in Facebook. This map emphasizes how important it is to be critical of each news source we read, regardless of what site shared or wrote it. Many credible news establishments have columnists who are largely biased for and against a certain issue or administration. Examples of this would be Mocha Uson and Rigoberto Tiglao who do columns for the Philippine Star and Manila Times respectively. Problems associated with social media have emerged but these same tactics were used when print media had just been invented. It is up to the reader to be critical and to interpret between those lines.
The Open Society Institute measured the Media Literacy Index of European countries based on their familiarity with different media, particularly online social media. The map above illustrates the clustering of different areas based on their indices; Cluster 1
contains the countries with the highest media literacy indices and Cluster 5 contains the countries with the lowest media literacy indices. According to the article, the Balkan states are most vulnerable to fake news given their classifications ranging from cluster 3 to Cluster 5 or the countries with the medium to lowest indices. Looking at the map, noticeably, Western Europe has the highest media literacy rate among the rest of Europe. It can be said that it is due to the access of these countries at an earlier stage
than that of there Eastern European counterparts because of the economic disparity. It raises an important question where fake news can prosper and have a larger impact on the society. This map emphasizes the drive against fake news starts with educating people about how social media should be utilized and analyzed critically. The interpretation of people will depend on their existing knowledge of media analysis. The prevalence of fake news deals with arming people with the capability to filter and discern the truth from the lie, as in the case of children. Given the relatively-young phenomena of social media and web space, teaching people how to do such discernment is something we have yet to fully establish.
contains the countries with the highest media literacy indices and Cluster 5 contains the countries with the lowest media literacy indices. According to the article, the Balkan states are most vulnerable to fake news given their classifications ranging from cluster 3 to Cluster 5 or the countries with the medium to lowest indices. Looking at the map, noticeably, Western Europe has the highest media literacy rate among the rest of Europe. It can be said that it is due to the access of these countries at an earlier stage
than that of there Eastern European counterparts because of the economic disparity. It raises an important question where fake news can prosper and have a larger impact on the society. This map emphasizes the drive against fake news starts with educating people about how social media should be utilized and analyzed critically. The interpretation of people will depend on their existing knowledge of media analysis. The prevalence of fake news deals with arming people with the capability to filter and discern the truth from the lie, as in the case of children. Given the relatively-young phenomena of social media and web space, teaching people how to do such discernment is something we have yet to fully establish.
The Freedom House created this map to compare between democratic and non-democratic states by visualizing the level of internet freedom in each country. The countries colored in green are those with the highest level of internet freedom, while the
yellow-colored countries have only partial internet freedom. The purple-colored countries have no internet freedom, meaning the State controls the content of its internet and access to it is very limited. This map is effective in emphasizing that a huge part of our society do not get to experience as much freedom to access information on the internet. Information is key to power and control. According to the article, disinformation is an important factor in discouraging internet freedom in certain fascist states. Surprisingly, the Freedom House proposes that States utilize disinformation to erode trust in the internet and social media. Disinformation to suppress the idea of a liberalizing internet and social media. China, for instance, suppresses its people by prohibiting social media sites such as Facebook and allowing content favorable to the Communist Party, despite the lack of credible verification. If the State is the only source of information, society will be conditioned in the mindset of the State and not their own. However, another problem has surfaced in the fight against fake news and disinformation since this may discourage
people from using social media. “Umiiwas sa gulo” in our context. The starting point then goes back to educating the public on how to detect unverified information from verified news. If people are discouraged from utilizing social media, the best way to arm them is through education. It empowers them by their own choice. The question now lies as to who and what should be taught.
yellow-colored countries have only partial internet freedom. The purple-colored countries have no internet freedom, meaning the State controls the content of its internet and access to it is very limited. This map is effective in emphasizing that a huge part of our society do not get to experience as much freedom to access information on the internet. Information is key to power and control. According to the article, disinformation is an important factor in discouraging internet freedom in certain fascist states. Surprisingly, the Freedom House proposes that States utilize disinformation to erode trust in the internet and social media. Disinformation to suppress the idea of a liberalizing internet and social media. China, for instance, suppresses its people by prohibiting social media sites such as Facebook and allowing content favorable to the Communist Party, despite the lack of credible verification. If the State is the only source of information, society will be conditioned in the mindset of the State and not their own. However, another problem has surfaced in the fight against fake news and disinformation since this may discourage
people from using social media. “Umiiwas sa gulo” in our context. The starting point then goes back to educating the public on how to detect unverified information from verified news. If people are discouraged from utilizing social media, the best way to arm them is through education. It empowers them by their own choice. The question now lies as to who and what should be taught.
The United States has had numerous issues linked to fake news; from the 2016 US Presidential elections to alternative facts. The Trade Desk mapped out where readers from right-wing conservatives considered certain fake news articles relevant. It utilized a
right-wing fake news article, American News, and surveyed the level of relevance the article had per state. A redder color would mean that the article was categorized as very relevant to that state. Although no map was made for a left-wing conservative news article, both sides were baited into reading the fake news articles. The author of the article noted that they found a number of similar characteristics of readers within each side of the political spectrum (right-wing conservatives - white older males, left-wing - affluent, college-educated males). It is interesting to note that how these maps confirm the existing notions of supporters of both sides; southeastern states are most likely white males who prefer articles about Donald Trump, northern states are most likely anti-Trump. This map, when compared with the electoral map of the 2016 elections, shows similarities with it. It is fascinating how these types of maps help us relate topics that very much vary from one another. No one would have thought that pattern of fake news would be linked to the voting pattern of a country. That is where the power of maps lie; bridging issues to further enhance discussion.
right-wing fake news article, American News, and surveyed the level of relevance the article had per state. A redder color would mean that the article was categorized as very relevant to that state. Although no map was made for a left-wing conservative news article, both sides were baited into reading the fake news articles. The author of the article noted that they found a number of similar characteristics of readers within each side of the political spectrum (right-wing conservatives - white older males, left-wing - affluent, college-educated males). It is interesting to note that how these maps confirm the existing notions of supporters of both sides; southeastern states are most likely white males who prefer articles about Donald Trump, northern states are most likely anti-Trump. This map, when compared with the electoral map of the 2016 elections, shows similarities with it. It is fascinating how these types of maps help us relate topics that very much vary from one another. No one would have thought that pattern of fake news would be linked to the voting pattern of a country. That is where the power of maps lie; bridging issues to further enhance discussion.
The phenomenon of social media has heightened the distribution of information at a much faster pace. The passage of information from one person to another multiplies into different sets of people connected to the persons involved. Developers created a software called Hoaxy that analyzes how different sources of information in online media are spread throughout the webspace. It compares the number of people who connect to various articles, whether verified or unverified claims. These dots represent the different social media users who share online information to their circles of friends. The software traces the connections made by these users based on words from articles. So it establishes what is shared and who shares them by using different colors. Yellow is for the fact-checks or the verified articles and blue is for the claims or the unverified sources of information. The beauty about the maps produced by Hoaxy is that it shows specific nodes or sources that can easily connect to another. These help visualize the extent of the distribution of information can be and how fast the network can grow. Unfortunately, certain words used in the software have found that more unverified claims were made than fact-checks. It’s alarming how fast the spread of these information can be and how quickly people accept that information as true. While it is usually beneficial for people to be immediately informed of varied knowledge, it can also be detrimental when the information being disseminated is not checked. It is vital that structures are set-up to ensure that information is being filtered and verified. However, what can be considered verified and unverified is sometimes political and cultural in parameters.