Modern Day Propaganda: Characteristics of Fake News and Psychological Effects on the Public

摘要

Propaganda has been utilized by individuals, governments, and private organizations for centuries. The motivational reasons to distribute propaganda have varied from financial, reputational, and political and religious ideology. Propaganda aimed to manipulate the behavior of its target audience no matter the motivation or desired intentions. The medium for diffusing propaganda has evolved from radio, newspaper articles, and television ads, to the use of social media. In particular, Twitter, has provided a new outlet for propaganda to flourish in the form of fake news tweets. This study examined fake news tweets sent during the 2016 US presidential election, identified common emotional tones from the tweets, and discussed the psychological effect of the propaganda on Twitter. This research revealed that in order for a propaganda campaign to be successful, it must present customized information that triggers an expected emotional response out of a target audience. The study examined the use of automated software programs, such as bots, sock puppets, and cyborgs, which provided a level playing field for any social media user to spread false information and be as effective as organized propagandists. Bots helped manufacture popularity of fake news tweets commenting on political charged topics during the election on Twitter. Trending fake news topics increased the likelihood that mainstream news media would report on those topics. The continued collaboration between academic researchers, governments, and technology companies towards identifying user accounts, websites, and message characteristics of fake news will help reduce its spread. The collaborative effort will help ensure accurate and sourced information reaches the public.