The Internet and the ease of lying
The Internet is a world where information and news abound. With the touch of a button, you can fly to all parts of the world, where you can scoop up knowledge and taste the sweetness of easy access to information. However, just as not everything that glitters is gold, not everything written on the Internet is true. With the huge amount of information and news, lies and errors in information and news also amplify. What is more dangerous is that the ease with which false news spreads makes it true news for many people, so they read the rumor or false news and do not read its denial if it exists...
In 2014, false news spread on the Internet, circulated by Arab websites, even some newspapers, and also some TV stations. Among these news items was a rumor that the famous media personality Oprah Winfrey had cancer, and that her life might end within a few months. I found this news with the same wording in several newspapers and websites, and when the news was revealed, no one bothered to publish a denial or correction. There was also another piece of news that spread, as they say, like wildfire, which was the news that President Barack Obama’s sixteen-year-old daughter was pregnant outside of marriage, and that the president expressed his happiness with what his daughter had done, commenting that he had dealt with his daughter’s pregnancy from a political perspective and not from his position as a father. Also, when the falsehood of the news was revealed, no one corrected the information that was published. It is true that rumors targeting international and Arab artists are a common thing that we have become accustomed to, but with the spread of the Internet, rumors have become easier and believing them has become faster than in the past...
When we use the Internet, we must deal with it with great caution. We must not believe every piece of news and every piece of information. Rather, we must choose sources that are committed to the media and known for their honesty, so that we do not fall into the trap of false information.
In 2014, false news spread on the Internet, circulated by Arab websites, even some newspapers, and also some TV stations. Among these news items was a rumor that the famous media personality Oprah Winfrey had cancer, and that her life might end within a few months. I found this news with the same wording in several newspapers and websites, and when the news was revealed, no one bothered to publish a denial or correction. There was also another piece of news that spread, as they say, like wildfire, which was the news that President Barack Obama’s sixteen-year-old daughter was pregnant outside of marriage, and that the president expressed his happiness with what his daughter had done, commenting that he had dealt with his daughter’s pregnancy from a political perspective and not from his position as a father. Also, when the falsehood of the news was revealed, no one corrected the information that was published. It is true that rumors targeting international and Arab artists are a common thing that we have become accustomed to, but with the spread of the Internet, rumors have become easier and believing them has become faster than in the past...
When we use the Internet, we must deal with it with great caution. We must not believe every piece of news and every piece of information. Rather, we must choose sources that are committed to the media and known for their honesty, so that we do not fall into the trap of false information.