FAKE NEWS AND DISINFORMATION

the lack of critical sense in the dissemination of news across the online universe

Abstract

ABSTRACT

The online universe is a medium increasingly used to entertain, communicate and inform themselves. Put this way, this study seeks to evaluate the growth and influence of the Internet today, especially in relation to the massive amount of information that circulates daily and that ends up opening space for the phenomenon of misinformation and the proliferation of false news. To verify the relevance of the concepts and theoretical surveys, the study presents a quantitative research in which it evaluates the consumption habits regarding online news, mainly by young people who use the Internet, mobile devices, applications and social media frequently. What can be verified, from the study, is that many news are shared or disseminated without even having a critical sense in relation to the veracity of the facts; often, it is even shared by reading only part of the news, or even only the headline. This, certainly, contributes significantly to the fact that more and more false information circulates on the network, which can be very harmful to countless people, brands or organizations.