Youth and Fake News help

AENeuman · 08-08-2017, 12:25 PM

I'm looking at doing a lesson on fake news for my juniors and seniors. Questions:
1. What kind of fake news do they get? I'm sure it's not pizzagate stuff.
2. Where do they get their fake news? I know it's not Facebook, does Snapchat have a news feed? Do they use Twitter?
3. How much is really their parents inability to determine fake news?

Thanks.

CrescentMoonie · 08-08-2017, 12:38 PM

1. From my experience, most coming into college were fully on board with the anti-scientific woo of food and health. Lots of gluten is bad for everyone, GMOs aren't safe, GOOP/Food Babe/Avocado Wolfe are real types of stuff.

2. It seems to come mostly from whatever their social media of choice is. Lots of Tumblr and YouTube channels for their info.

3. I don't doubt that it starts at home, either as adopted belief that they were taught or rebellion against what they were taught depending on the relationship there.

whomario · 08-08-2017, 02:22 PM

Yeah, Youtube would be my bet and/or good old blogs and stuff popping up on Google News.

How many households would actually discuss the News, fake or not ? Filtering Information well (or not) is obviously influenced by what they experience with parents/other adults in their circle.

Also: Define "Fake" ? There's various degrees, no ? Do you mean maliciously planted/fictional stuff, lazily researched/wrong stuff, ideologically tainted stuff or mere click-bait ?

JonInMiddleGA · 08-08-2017, 02:37 PM

1) In addition to the stuff already mentioned, I'd also add celebrity fake-news. Death hoaxes being a good example I suppose.

2) Social media possibilities run the gamut I imagine.

3) I suspect that has relatively little to do with it honestly, at least not directly. I see very little indication that sort of thing is even a topic of discussion between kids & parents today. I'm consistently bewildered by the lack of communication -- about almost anything -- that takes place between parents & this age group. My own kid has told me for years how "weird" our relationship was, in that we actually have conversations that last more than a couple of sentences, something that he said was a persistent thread of conversation with his peers starting at least in middle school.

08-08-2017, 02:22 PM	#3
whomario Pro Starter Join Date: Jul 2007	Yeah, Youtube would be my bet and/or good old blogs and stuff popping up on Google News. How many households would actually discuss the News, fake or not ? Filtering Information well (or not) is obviously influenced by what they experience with parents/other adults in their circle. Also: Define "Fake" ? There's various degrees, no ? Do you mean maliciously planted/fictional stuff, lazily researched/wrong stuff, ideologically tainted stuff or mere click-bait ? __________________ “The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes "Awww!”

08-08-2017, 02:37 PM	#4
JonInMiddleGA Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Behind Enemy Lines in Athens, GA	1) In addition to the stuff already mentioned, I'd also add celebrity fake-news. Death hoaxes being a good example I suppose. 2) Social media possibilities run the gamut I imagine. 3) I suspect that has relatively little to do with it honestly, at least not directly. I see very little indication that sort of thing is even a topic of discussion between kids & parents today. I'm consistently bewildered by the lack of communication -- about almost anything -- that takes place between parents & this age group. My own kid has told me for years how "weird" our relationship was, in that we actually have conversations that last more than a couple of sentences, something that he said was a persistent thread of conversation with his peers starting at least in middle school. __________________ "I lit another cigarette. Unless I specifically inform you to the contrary, I am always lighting another cigarette." - from a novel by Martin Amis

08-08-2017, 12:38 PM	#2
CrescentMoonie College Starter Join Date: Aug 2016 Location: Earth, the semi-final frontier.	1. From my experience, most coming into college were fully on board with the anti-scientific woo of food and health. Lots of gluten is bad for everyone, GMOs aren't safe, GOOP/Food Babe/Avocado Wolfe are real types of stuff. 2. It seems to come mostly from whatever their social media of choice is. Lots of Tumblr and YouTube channels for their info. 3. I don't doubt that it starts at home, either as adopted belief that they were taught or rebellion against what they were taught depending on the relationship there.

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