[QUOTE=lustylad;1060728456]Memes are not journalism. Anyone can create a meme. Like this one lol. Fake news?
Funny how you think (conservative) memes prove how pervasive fake news is while you deny it is even a problem in the (liberal) mainstream media.
[url=https://imgflip.com/i/2dmqsl][img]
I remember thanking you for your pointing out "fake news" sources. We can argue forever as to how important they are in forming one's opinion on Trump.
No, memes are not journalism but they are just as effective, even more so in my opinion, in providing "information" for people to form their viewpoints on various subjects. To be honest, even though I read the newspaper every day and watch the local news, I was unaware of most of the "fake news" items you cited. However, I get memes almost every day over Facebook, this website, and e-mail, almost all bashing the left or praising the right.
Examples -- yesterday a friend on facebook posted an article stating that Trump signed an EO barring undocumented immigrants from receiving welfare. Totally false.
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/tr...rants-welfare/
Then this morning on my fellow HS classmates, a very loyal Trump supporter, sent out a note to class members containing a supposed letter from a German physician warning people about the horrors of Muslim immigrants. A totally unsubstantiated letter from a person no one can find.
As I said, I believe this dissemination of untrue information is more effective in altering people's beliefs than the "fake news" found occasionally in newspapers and periodicals. To support my belief:
Fake News Memes On Facebook: What Are They?
Gone are the times when memes were just funny images to post in your newsfeed or share with friends. Believe it or not, memes have become a popular method of disseminating false information. These days, memes are widely used as tools of political manipulation.
There are five underlying causes of this phenomenon:
Most people are poor at identifying false images, especially, if they are professionally designed.
Memes are designed to go viral, which makes them a perfect tool for massive (mis)information spreading. Unlike articles or sponsored posts, memes always seem to find their way to slip by.
Memes are easy and quick to make. Especially, compared to articles and video news.
Current fact-checking features and fake-news-identifying algorithms have difficulty processing images.
Memes are jokes; they are not meant to be believed. This makes it hard to control or restrict them from a legal standpoint.
Given all that, it’s clear that memes are the biggest component of the fake news problem.
Despite their entertaining nature, memes make an effective tool for political manipulation. Especially, when targeted at people who lack critical thinking skills and tend to trust information without giving it a second thought. Doesn’t it sound like a dream for a political strategist?
https://stopad.io/blog/misinformation-memes-on-facebook