The increase of digital platforms has made it easier to spread fake news quickly. Although there are two major problems this can cause, several effective measures can be taken to address it.
The first problem caused by fake news spreading in digital media is the erosion of public trust. When fake news spreads through the internet, most people believe what they see from internet channels and videos. People believe fake news and tend to make bad choices that can harm their life and development. For example, some Telegram channels put unreliable information about education, like children should start school from an earlier age. When parents hear messages like these, they force their children to start school, which can cause children to feel stress and take away the opportunity from kids to enjoy their childhood. In addition, people often get advice about their illnesses from social media, but this information can be fake, which can cause health problems. For example, when COVID-19 appeared all over the world, people believed information on the internet and got many medicines without doctors’ permission, which caused losses for people around the world.
Serious as the issue may seem, several solutions can definitely help tackle it. Firstly, the government can involve itself in these issues and find better solutions. When the government puts some limits on the information and warns people not to believe different sources. For example, authorities can encourage honest people to create channels themselves and put correct and reliable information about every important detail of events. Furthermore, there are some apps to identify fake news; people can copy the information and send it to these apps to know if it is true or fake. People themselves should be more careful with allowing things from digital media.
In conclusion, digital media can cause several problems to human health and education. These problems can be tackled by the government and some apps that can identify fake news.