Yes, there is a fake news problem, but curbing it isn't as easy as censorship

We’ve all read about the fake news problem. Thanks to Donald Trump being elected as the next president of the United States, and supporters of Hillary Clinton accusing fake news for the surprise , there’s now a larger interest in the fake news problem. Not long ago, a piece by Faking News (a satire news website by Firstpost) was high on Facebook trending topics. But Facebook isn’t where the fake news problem ends. Turns out, Google – the primary source of the online world’s knowledge – also promotes fake news. The first time I read that, it came across as a blatant accusation. But  reports online do shed light on how search algorithms tend to prefer news stories that users are more likely to click on. The perils of populism The problem in solving this menace lies in the very problem itself. Whether we like it or not, we are the Facebook and Google generation. Or a vast majority of the online audience derives its learning from the world of Facebook and Google. We consult Google before going to the doctor for an illness. We do our preliminary research on Wikipedia before moving to credible information. What’s the problem there? Simply put, it’s the problem of popular appeal. [caption id=“attachment_328859” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”]  Some of the milder examples of clickbait around[/caption] History is a testament to the perils of popular sentiment. Popular choice is democracy. In a way, that’s how democracies across the globe elect new leaders. Popular knowledge, therefore, need not be credible. Because a mass movement could dilute objectivity. Sometimes, people get blinded by emotion, admiration, or fear to decide or believe something they would probably not have done in an ideal scenario. As you may have realised by now, it’s a case where technology created by social media companies and search engines have the great responsibility of delivering relevant links that users want to consume. Understanding the problem The way Google’s and to a great extent Facebook’s algorithm tracks news to show up front on its search results, or trending topics is to factor in widespread user interest. The higher the initial interest, coupled by the clicks the individual ranks receive seem to be a significant influence in determining the list as it evolves. Sometimes, alternative news websites and in effect, depending on popularity, mainstream news websites could end up reporting news that is otherwise fake. And that’s precisely why it’s a difficult problem to solve. By its very nature, social media and the online world at large is democratic in nature. Every user claims the right to view content s/he seems fit, and expects that right to be maintained and defended. If there happens to be some sort of ‘corrective action’ taken by a social media site such as Facebook or Twitter, users tend to go up in arms. Even if these actions are triggered to maintain law and order or a software bug, users would consider this as a bias against their points of view or an attempt to clampdown on dissent. Mostly, these are ill-founded, but generally speaking, it’s worth noting, how fake news has raised to the fore due to widespread appetite for news that’s entertaining and initiates larger conversations. The need for checks around credibility and authenticity seem to have long forgone. What stays is the need for freedom. Which is warranted, of course. Yet, at the same time, need a sense of direction. With a critical sense of objectivity. Social media services can simply not afford to step in the conversation and regulate it. It’s happened with Twitter. Given that users could speak their thoughts out, or tweet them in public without restrictions, Twitter rose in popularity. However, in recent times, Twitter attempted curbing on what it regarded as hate speech, and even taking down multiple accounts. The result seems to be a drastic fall in engagement and overall users. Similarly, Facebook and Google would be vary of a potential fall in users and engagement levels, if there was a larger attempt to curb content that the online audience is interested in to a great extent. That would warrant censorship, even if it wasn’t the intent. In fact, it also is pursued as a bias on behalf of Facebook and Google, although that may not necessarily be the case. Clearly, what we consider a menace in the form of fake news, is a larger and bigger problem to solve. It simply cannot be censored in our democratic world.