“ALIE can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes” or so the saying goes, and this has never been truer than it is today. Some attribute the quote to Winston Churchill while others believe Mark Twain said it. That is not as important as the essence of the sentiment. A crisis is an opportunity for rumours to spread like wildfire but what is baffling is that there are so many gullible people who believe whatever they read on social media. It is true that breaking news tend to lead to misinformation and mistakes in reporting but details that should be verified before publication or broadcast now have the habit of travelling far and wide before the truth emerges, thanks to social networking platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter.
The helicopter tragedy in Sarawak is a case in point. Soon after the news of the chopper went missing, online communities began spewing out claims that it had been found and those on board had landed safely somewhere in Sarawak. A group picture of the passengers, which was actually snapped before the flight, accompanied this version of events, which immediately went viral. The message was explicit — they were safe. Evidently, many readers did not seek other sources to confirm the “safe” account and they, in turn, forwarded it to their friends and relatives via social media. There were also those who made negative assumptions. It was the same with the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 tragedy. Social media users had engaged in speculation and had posted unsubstantiated reports that the aircraft had made an emergency landing in China, but Malaysia Airlines and China refuted these assertions. This type of distorted statements has a tendency to go the rounds on social media platforms during national tragedies.
Unfortunately, fake news draws real audiences. Observers note that incorrect narratives are not new but the Internet has made it easy for them to disperse and some say even faster than the reports that debunk them. There are even websites dedicated to producing bogus reports, successfully making the most of today’s news ecosystem. But what does this phenomenon say about readers who swallow the lies hook, line and sinker? Why do people have this attraction for bad news? Foreign media studies reveal that “bad news far outweighs good news by as much as 17 negative news reports for every one good news report”. “From evolutionary and neuro-scientific and probability perspectives, we are hardwired to look for the dramatic and negative, and when we find it, we share it,” suggests one psychologist.
Still, there is no need to despair because positive psychologists say it is possible to change our poor habits. But we need a serious discussion on the issue as a first step towards finding a solution. We must summon the will to act and, after that, to ask ourselves how we can do it smartly. Would legislation ensure better protection and policing of this shared space? Many say education about the appropriate use of social media and the exercise of social responsibility is the key to reducing abuse. Obviously, we must initiate the debate and create the online community we desire.
