News spreads fast. We see it on social media. We are alerted to it by notifications on our phone. Our friends share it. 

Not everything we read is true. Terms like ‘fake news’ and ‘misinformation’ are used all the time.  

Researchers have discovered that fake news usually travels faster than real news. Because it plays on your emotions, you are more likely to share it without double checking it first.  

It’s important that we understand how to look at what we see and hear, to help us identify whether something is truthful.  

But why do people make up fake content? What do they get out of tricking people? 

Misinformation 

Sometimes fake news isn’t really fake at all, it’s just incorrect. It’s easy to believe something is real without checking first. If you then share that, there’s a good chance your friends might believe it too, because it’s come from someone they trust.  

Nobody is trying to trick anyone. It’s just been a simple mistake.  

Financial Gain 

In a lot of cases, the fake news has been created so someone can earn money. If something seems sensational or stands out as being really unusual, it often means people are more likely to click on it. And if they believe it, share it. 

Those clicks can make money through advertising for those who have made the content. 

Trolling 

Sometimes there is no better reason behind the fake news than someone wanting to trick people as a joke or to see if they can get a reaction.  

It could be a comedian doing it for promotion or even one of your friends trying to see if you’ll fall for it. You’re smarter than that though! 

Deep Fakes and AI Generated Content

As technology advances, the opportunities to create content quickly and easily increase. However, this also means it’s possible for people to create misleading content.

Deepfakes use artificial intelligence to alter existing content to make them into something different. It could be a editing video, recreating voices or manipulating image, to fool people into believing they are real. This can be used to spread misinformation.

AI can also create new content for users with a simple instruction of what is correct. The new content is made using similar content from across the internet, meaning they aren’t always correct.

Changing Opinion 

Fake news is sometimes created to try to influence people or to get them to change their mind on an important topic. In recent years we’ve seen plenty of stories about votes and elections being swayed by the effects of fake news. By creating news that seems believable, people may decide to change how they will vote. 

In the same way, it can be used to create fear or to try to make someone look like they shouldn’t be listened to. By causing chaos, they can isolate or drive people away.  

If you’re looking for tips to help you check to see whether content is fake or not, we’ve got you covered!