Fake News in an Era of Social Media

Yasmin Ibrahim is Professor of Digital Economy and Culture at Queen Mary University of London.Fadi Safieddine is Senior Lecturer in Computer Science and Information Systems at the University of East London.

• Foreword: Fake News—Anxieties and Neurosis in the Era of Social Media1. History of Fake News, Fadi Safieddine2. Fake News, Media, and the Fourth Estate, Yasmin Ibrahim3. Political and Social Impact of Digital Fake News in an Era of Social Media, Fadi Safieddine4. Case Study: Fake News and Threat to Brazilians’ Health, Gheorghita Ghinea, Suzana G. Cardoso, Marian C. M. Caparelli5. The Psychology of Fake News, Seth M. Porter6. Modelling the Propagation of Fake News in Social Media, Pardis Pourghomi7. Corporate Attempts to Combat Fake News, Milan Djordjevic8. Academic Research into Combating Fake News, Pardis Pourghomi9. Variable Identification and Approaches to Validating Fake News, Milan Dordevic and Dr Fadi Safieddine10. Fake News: A Legal Perspective, Moufid El-Khoury11. The Ethics of the Posttruth Society: Where Are We With This? Yasmin IbrahimIndex

The title's reference to viral contagion resonates strongly in this time of COVID-19, and it finds its fullest expression in chapter 6, “Modelling the Propagation of Fake News in Social Media,” which looks at fake news in terms of epidemiology. Much of the book addresses themes that have become common in studies of fake news and related phenomenon like conspiracy theories: psychology, definition and history, corporate attempts to control the spread of misinformation, and threats to democracy and professional journalism. Chapter 10, “Fake News: A Legal Perspective,” is a brief discussion of the complications of attempting to regulate a global medium when nations have differing, sometimes conflicting, laws regarding the protection of speech and corporate liability. This chapter also reflects the international viewpoint of the book, which includes a chapter about the impact of misinformation on the health of Brazilians and some discussion about how fake news influenced the Brexit vote. Chapters are followed by references to works cited and are authored by academics from the UK, US, Brazil, and Kuwait. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty.