THE REAL THREAT OF FAKE NEWS

A lot has been said and written about the negative impact of fake news. A robust verification process is often touted as the surest way of guarding against the so called alternative facts. But even the best assembled fact-checking mechanisms have been known to fail miserably. The real threat of fake news though, is how easily people believe the deception.

It especially seems like for the majority, any information posted on the Internet comes with a secret 'doubt-free' ingredient.

How else can one explain the incredible level of susceptibility, that makes even the most twisted story so believable?

Case in point, I was, queueing for hours to get essential Kenyan government services.

And despite gallant efforts to resist, I found myself becoming a very active listener of a conversation behind me.

A number of public personalities were given a not so private dress-down, with the discussion revolving around their ill-gotten wealth, perceived celebrity statuses, ruined relationships and even failed marriages.

I was tempted to intervene, when the name of someone I know personally was floated, and the chatter descended into outright falsehoods.

Now that's the real threat of fake news.

The kind of misinformation being exchanged at the hyper-local level is truly scary and the monster that social media has become is hugely to blame.

Indeed, online platforms have enabled those hell-bent to cause maximum damage, to have their own paradise on earth.

The fuel sustaining this gullibility could be the tremendously sophisticated way online information is packaged, that makes it hard to discern lies from the truth.

So now more than ever, is the time to sharpen one's internal truth-sensing instincts, for one to survive this onslaught of fake news.