Lina Azimy Aarhus Gymnasium 16/04/2023

20htxca

Assignment 4A-2
Stop spreading fake news on social media!

A very good evening to you all ladies and gentlemen and thank you all for participating in our protest against
fake news on social media today. Your presence in our protest is beneficial both to me, to yourself, and to the
whole world. It is an honor for me to stand here and give a speech to you the honorable audiences today Jun
30, at international social media day in New York City, USA. I am Sara Smith, a student from the
communication and media studies faculty at Columbia University. Have you heard before about the virus
that attacks our brains? If you didn’t, you get to hear now. Fake news is a phenomenon, that has been used
for a long time ago. “According to Radford, the first conspiracy theories as we might recognize them now
likely didn’t spring up until the mid-15th century, with the invention of the Gutenberg press in the 1440s.” 1
Over time, fake news has increased widely in the entire world, especially lately. Lately, a tsunami of fake
news is flooding social media. Don’t you think, it is time to stop spreading fake news on social media? Don’t
you think, it is time to stop manipulating people? Don’t you think, it is time to stop hurting people?
As we all know, fake news is misleading and false information presented as true news with unfavorable
intentions, which wants to manipulate people’s understanding of reality. Fake news is injurious and harmful
both for individuals and for society. Nowadays people are less likely to see the truth due to fake news.
Occasionally, mistrust manifests itself in incivility, protests imaginary events, and violence. The virus which
is also called fake news is designed to make people change their beliefs, attitudes, and perceptions, which in
turn will lead them to change their behavior. Fake news leads to beliefs and decisions that are controlled by
someone else. That means other people control you and your understanding of reality.
Disinformation and misinformation can also pose cyber security risks. Your information can be stolen
through fake news articles. Practicing identity management and protecting your data begins with
understanding the risks of fake news. Your virtual banking accounts can be compromised by a cyber breach,
so learn about fake news to establish fascial security and grow your financial IQ. I am neither an expert nor a
philosopher in the subject but as a communication and media studies student, I do know a little bit about the
topic and have some basic about fake news consequences from the theories that I have learned at the
University. By being a student from the communication and media studies faculty, I believe it is necessary
for the entire world to stop spreading fake news on social media and to know about its consequences. I
believe it is necessary to stop manipulating and hurting people’s beliefs. I believe it is necessary to do
something, otherwise, no one will trust social media any longer. Please stop, stop, stop manipulating us. We
want the truth; we are tired of being manipulated. 2
Fake news and misinformation disruptions pose a threat to democracy and effective governance because of
their impact. Fake news can influence public opinion, alter the organic process by which it is formed, and
ultimately influence behavior, from voting to taking positions on various public issues. Ultimately, fake news
promotes harmful narratives, spreads doubt and confusion, increases social polarization, and influences
democratic decision-making. Fake news can be a tool for antisemitism, populism, xenophobia, and much
more extreme political views. Nonetheless, one countermeasure is to shield audiences from this phenomenon
by encouraging critical thinking, fact-checking, and developing media literacy interventions.
Social media is a very serviceable communication medium, which has widespread influence over countries,
cities, and most people. Social media increases awareness among people about what is happening in the
entire world and creates the opportunity to communicate with your families and friends everywhere, every
1
Conspiracy theories, explained. By Aja Romano, Nov 18, 2020. II. 11-13.
2
Reverb, the QAnon effect. 00:01:03

1
Lina Azimy Aarhus Gymnasium 16/04/2023
20htxca

time, and in every way. Social media gives people a place to talk about their personal, group, or popular
interests and build relationships with people whose values and beliefs are similar or different. But apart from
when people spread conspiracy theories and fake news in it. When people share fake news on social media,
the consequences of social media outweigh its benefits. Which is not good for relationships and can cause
cut-out social relationships. Social media makes relationships stronger, but fake news makes them weaker.
Fake news and conspiracy theories are like viruses. Viruses attack our bodies and make us sick, but fake
news is another form of the virus that attacks our brains and changes our opinions and perceptions of reality.
Fake news has become a significant social issue, from misinformation about the COVID-19 epidemic 3 to
disinformation regarding QAnon4 during the presidential elections in the USA. 5 One of the fake news about
the COVID-19 epidemic was promoting fake services and products, promoting skepticism of official sources
and guidelines, and promoting an erroneous sense of security. Many people have believed the fake news
during the COVID-19 epidemic. “People that are less likely to engage in critical thinking are most
susceptible to believing such theories. These same individuals are also more likely to assume something is
credible simply because they viewed it on the Internet.” 6
Here the question arises: how to spot fake news and protect yourself from them? There are some
fundamental steps that secureSome fundamental steps secure you to make a fact-based and informed
decision. Firstly, make sure to consider the source of the news and consider whether are they enough
credible. Secondly, don't rely just on one article. The more you read from different sources, the more
probable you can make precise inferences. Thirdly, check the author, and date of publication. In this context,
look for whether the author is trustworthy enough or not and make sure the publication date is recent.
But as I mentioned before, conspiracy theories and fake news are very harmful both for us and for our
society. Therefore, we must do something. We must do something, for our own safety. We must do
something for our own security. We must do something for our democracy and our future. We must save
ourselves from this dangerous virus also called fake news, that wants to take over our brains and manipulate
us.
With this, I want to end my speech. I want to take the opportunity and thank you all for paying attention to
me this evening. I am truly appreciative of your indulgence. Thanks to James Williamson my teacher for
starting this protest and for giving me a chance to give this speech today. I hope my speech has informed you
enough about the consequences of fake news and was useful for you your respectable audiences. My
intention in giving the speech was to create at least a small change in our society. Protect yourself and your
loved ones from this opinion-changing virus. Be aware! Now I am ready to respond to your questions.

3
Reverb, the QAnon effect. 00:07:48.
4
Conspiracy Theories Have Gained Traction Since 9/11 Thanks To social media. Peter Suciu, Sep 11, 2020. I. 7.
5
Conspiracy theories, explained. By Aja Romano, Nov 18, 2020. II. 3.
6
Conspiracy Theories Have Gained Traction Since 9/11 Thanks To social media. Peter Suciu, Sep 11, 2020. II. 48-50