Fake News: the Use and Abuse of Social Media

The world is going through several transformations from the progress of new technologies to forms of knowledge of social networks and political and cultural movements. New conceptions are being created through the approximation between cultures provided by communication through the Internet, the improvement of smartphones and especially the need for dialogue between completely different groups. Changes in behavior, and the new conceptions of political representation makes young people a fundamental part of the processes of social transformation in a multicultural world. Not only with social mobilization but also by the conscientization about the new discussions that are being presented every day, which is a part of living in a society. The role of the media in society is huge. Through newspapers, radio, and especially TV, people are informed about issues that interest them and affect their lives. In addition to information on the government and the way the state works, the media is responsible for publishing the opinions and needs of different social groups. The task of informing and showing different points of view sounds simple, but it's not what happens most of the times.

The presence of manipulated information in the news and social media is a threat to our democracy, and our ability to make good decisions politically. Fake news can difficult the process of building an opinion on numerous topics for people trying to make sense of the world. It’s hard to understand the reasons behind it. Fake news is not the only way we are manipulated. It can also be done in a more indirect or even imperceptible way. Politicians frequently use the 'nostalgia factor' to gain the public's support. It's a pretty simple and effective process. Politicians use a certain nostalgic aspect of our lives to manipulate us. We all know Donald Trump’s campaign slogan “Make America Great Again”, which indicates that he wants to make the country great again. “Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition” is a scientific journal about applied sciences in memory and cognition, “America Was Great When Nationally Relevant Events Occurred and When Americans Were Young” is the article where Robbie J. Taylor, Cassandra G. Burton-Wood and Maryanne Garry analyzed the slogan and came to the conclusion that to be able to make the country great again, we had to believe the country was once great. During the survey, a group of people of diverse ages was assembled and asked what years, in their opinion, was the United States best year. Less than 40% of people picked a year when something of national significance happened, more than 60% chose a generic year between their date of birth and their 20s. The best phase of the country, in each person’s opinion, was during their own youth. The phenomenon is known as reminiscence bump, where the most vivid memories of people are those of the time of youth or adolescence. This causes the feeling that we are all defending the return of the same period, when in fact it is relative to the opinion and life experience of each one of us.

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