SPREAD OF FAKE NEWS ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Social Media usage has drastically increased in today's generation. Conventional media mostly includes nameless and faceless people who decides what gets printed and broadcasted and what does not. In this new era of internet and variety of social media, creation, and consumption of news and information in our society is changing. The rapid transformation of traditional print media into online portals has become a new trend. On the one hand, the online social media has democratized the means of news production and dissemination, but on the other hand, it has become a breeding ground for false and fake news. Increasing use of mobile devices and easy Wi-Fi access to 3G/4G networks, the Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter have turned into powerful platforms for providing news and entertainment. In the USA and India, the President and the Prime Minister are using Twitter to engage with their voters and supporters. Hence the direct interaction of politicians and policymakers with the people using social media is having a strong impact on the functioning of the governments around the world. As a consequence, the online journalism and citizen media are also on the rise. New channels of online communication, such Skype, WhatsApp, Messenger, LINE and many others have also led to a rampant increase in the spreading of fake news.