The web has been seen as the originator of the information age. But to many, it's now the perpetrator of the disinformation age.
We have access to more news than ever before. We also have access to more made-up news than at any time in history. It can be hard to tell what’s real and what’s fake; then there’s people who categorize fact-based real news as “fake news.”
Fake news. Real news. Important news. Trivial news. How did we get to this state of news consumption confusion?
The podcast On The Media took that question on in “The Failed Promise of the Internet.”
BOB GARFIELD: These tech companies’ interest is keeping you personally glued to their platforms, a motive that doesn't lend itself to feeding users with the latest on Aleppo, the Flint drinking water calamity or anything whatsoever taking place in your state house. What it favors is dresses that look golden white to some people and black and blue to others, or Kanye's nervous breakdown or “fake news.”