Fake stores travels faster than true news. This fact has been proofed by 3 MIT scholars. Ever since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, the number of fake news has also increased. Recently an analysis of comments on YouTube videos related to the coronavirus pandemic was done by the researchers.
This analysis gave the researchers an idea from where the false news spread. During this research, the researchers had a look at three videos uploaded by professional news channels which only provide authentic information. These videos were about how the coronavirus could spread through aerosols. But when the researchers had a look at the comments under the video mostly comments were about fake corona news. Almost 64.2% of the comments stated rumours regarding the coronavirus pandemic.
A consumer intelligence company known as Basil labs analysed 3500 different types of YouTube video comments on videos related to the coronavirus pandemic from apps like Yahoo, Bloomberg, and CBS, almost every comment had different versions of stories about how the coronavirus spreads. Half of these comments were fake gossips made by people themselves.
Th Coronavirus is something very new for the entire world, and we as a public are finding different things every day. Researchers are finding new information every day but these researchers only share the information with the organizations and when the organizations share the information with the public, they are less likely to believe them as they might think that it is fake news.
As per a study held in march 2018, 34% of the US citizens believe that the news channels at times give out fake news while the rest of the 52% believe that they frequently report fake news. Researchers believe that the stats have gone up after the coronavirus pandemic and the recent elections.
On recent information provided by the CEO of Basil labs Theo Goetemann, most of the fake news these days are regarding Trump's campaign against the media, Covid-19, and the elections. Some of the recent fake information was that 'just thinking of the virus will cause it to spread with around 20 feet near you'. Another really popular fake story on Bloomberg was that “They as in the candidates of the elections want you to shut up and not talk about the election, and how they're going to lie and cheat their way through it. Don't fall for this.”
Apart from this recently people even commented ill about the recent Black lives matter moment, rather than supporting the media they said that all the media can do is start a moment and cannot get anything right.
This fake news has impacted people so much that when true news about the Covid-19 vaccine was spread 81% of the people did not believe it. Most of the people who comment on YouTube videos are males and less educated and the nation is worried as these comments represent their country. And these comments are also causing political riots amongst people as fake news regarding the candidates is spreading.
Image Credits: SOPA Images / Getty Images
Read next: YouTube’s Popularity as a News Resource Could Lead to Widespread Misinformation, Conspiracy Theories
This analysis gave the researchers an idea from where the false news spread. During this research, the researchers had a look at three videos uploaded by professional news channels which only provide authentic information. These videos were about how the coronavirus could spread through aerosols. But when the researchers had a look at the comments under the video mostly comments were about fake corona news. Almost 64.2% of the comments stated rumours regarding the coronavirus pandemic.
A consumer intelligence company known as Basil labs analysed 3500 different types of YouTube video comments on videos related to the coronavirus pandemic from apps like Yahoo, Bloomberg, and CBS, almost every comment had different versions of stories about how the coronavirus spreads. Half of these comments were fake gossips made by people themselves.
Th Coronavirus is something very new for the entire world, and we as a public are finding different things every day. Researchers are finding new information every day but these researchers only share the information with the organizations and when the organizations share the information with the public, they are less likely to believe them as they might think that it is fake news.
As per a study held in march 2018, 34% of the US citizens believe that the news channels at times give out fake news while the rest of the 52% believe that they frequently report fake news. Researchers believe that the stats have gone up after the coronavirus pandemic and the recent elections.
On recent information provided by the CEO of Basil labs Theo Goetemann, most of the fake news these days are regarding Trump's campaign against the media, Covid-19, and the elections. Some of the recent fake information was that 'just thinking of the virus will cause it to spread with around 20 feet near you'. Another really popular fake story on Bloomberg was that “They as in the candidates of the elections want you to shut up and not talk about the election, and how they're going to lie and cheat their way through it. Don't fall for this.”
Apart from this recently people even commented ill about the recent Black lives matter moment, rather than supporting the media they said that all the media can do is start a moment and cannot get anything right.
This fake news has impacted people so much that when true news about the Covid-19 vaccine was spread 81% of the people did not believe it. Most of the people who comment on YouTube videos are males and less educated and the nation is worried as these comments represent their country. And these comments are also causing political riots amongst people as fake news regarding the candidates is spreading.
Image Credits: SOPA Images / Getty Images
Read next: YouTube’s Popularity as a News Resource Could Lead to Widespread Misinformation, Conspiracy Theories
