Why fake news spreads so fast

False stories are not new, but phones have made them faster. A post can reach thousands of people before anyone stops to ask whether it is true. Understanding why that happens is the first step to not being caught out.

It is built to make you feel something

Most false posts are designed to trigger a strong feeling: anger, fear, shock or excitement. When we feel strongly, we act quickly, and sharing takes one tap. That is why so many misleading posts begin with words like “BREAKING”, “URGENT” or “They don’t want you to know”.

Five kinds of false and misleading content

• Made up: a story, quote or document that is invented from nothing.
• False context: a real photo or video with a false caption, such as a flood from another country, years ago, shared as “Lagos this morning”.
• Edited: a real picture, video or voice that has been changed, cropped or cut to mean something else.
• Impostor: a post that copies the logo or name of a real news outlet, bank or government agency to borrow its trust.
• Satire taken seriously: a joke page’s post shared as if it were news.

Why it matters

False posts can cause panic, cost people money, damage reputations and, at worst, lead to violence. The good news: you do not need special skills. A short pause and a few simple checks catch most of it, and the rest of this course shows you how.

Try this today: the next time a post makes you feel a strong emotion, wait 30 seconds before you share it. Ask yourself: who wants me to feel this, and why?