KURBANOĞLU S. S., MADRAN R. O., ÜNAL Y., SOYDAL ÖZTÜRK İ., ŞENCAN İ.
Erasmus Projesi, 2020 - 2022
In the post-truth era we live in now, objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than emotions and personal belief. This post-truth reality is one of the reasons why fake news has proliferated and become so inescapable. On one hand, Internet and social media provide a new channel for fake news (misinformation/disinformation), on the other hand, people seldom verify the information/news they encounter. Misinformation is pervasive and could lead to serious consequences not only for individuals but also for the entire society. Thus, individuals need to be competent and intelligent users of information, should be able to critique the “news” being broadcast, and should be able to seek and find the information that is not being broadcast or otherwise prioritized by algorithms. In other words, in the post-truth age, critical thinking and news literacy skills seem to be the first line of defense for the survival of democracy.