Fake News Hotspot India
Fake News Hotspot India
Blog Article
India is the world’s most populous country. Over 1.4 billion people call the nation home. India, one of the world’s biggest democracies, has recently been ranked as the country that spreads rumors the most, according to several surveys. According to experts, this is mostly due to a lack of awareness about digital literacy and the internet’s unusually quick development.
Over-presence on the internet
India presently has over 830 million active internet users, according to the report, which is by no means a small amount. where YouTube, Facebook, and WhatsApp are the most widely used platforms. The country boasts the largest number of WhatsApp users worldwide, with over 480 million subscribers.
According to research by international media outlet Deutsche Welle, roughly 57% of individuals worldwide are exposed to fake news on average, compared to 64% in India. False information surged 214% in 2020, particularly during the Corona pandemic, with India being the primary source of much of this growth. Many false and misrepresented health claims were included in this, such as the claims that putting cow dung into the body heals illnesses and that drinking cow urine helps fight the coronavirus. Even Nevertheless, these theories were later proved to be devoid of scientific evidence.
Indians are using the internet at a growing rate due to cheap phones and inexpensive internet connectivity. False information consequently permeates social media rapidly, reaching millions of users before it can be verified or refuted.
Low percentage of digital literacy
India has a fairly high internet user base, yet the country’s digital literacy percentage is comparatively low. Several lack the expertise to confirm the veracity of information they find online. Approximately 49% of Indian internet users rely on social media as their primary news source, according to this survey, and there is no trustworthy structure in place to guarantee the authenticity of the data.
Many internet users only trust messages from close friends or family because they lack the knowledge to distinguish between accurate and fraudulent information, even though they are active online. This led to the rapid spread of rumors.
The Indian School of Information’s Joyojeet Pal is an associate professor who studies how Indian politicians influence the dissemination of misleading information on social media.
Dealing with harmful speech and propaganda on the internet presents three major obstacles, according to Joyojeet: the intricacy of the material, the spectrum of credibility, and its extensive distribution.
Because of India’s extreme political polarization and widespread mistrust of the media, some groups of individuals are readily influenced to believe information that contradicts their beliefs and interests. Therefore, it follows that incorrect information has an extremely high level of credibility.
Rumors about politics or religion are most prevalent
Generally speaking, there are two categories of fake news in India: political and religious.
- False political news
Politically deceptive information makes up a significant portion of fake news in India. Such misinformation is typically utilized during elections to sway public opinion or disparage opponents in politics. Through digital tactics, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) disseminated false material in both the 2015 and 2019 elections. The spread of false information during election seasons has significantly grown due to the usage of social media platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp, specifically, as political propaganda tools.
- Religious Fake News
Extremist Hindutva organizations are frequently responsible for the dissemination of religious disinformation, which mostly targets minority groups, particularly Muslims. This issue is getting worse as Hindu nationalism and Hindutva gain traction in India. In people’s private lives, religious propaganda is fostering bigotry and violence.
The Muslim community, for instance, may have been the victim of misleading propaganda during the COVID-19 outbreak. Social differences are widened by such bogus news, which also encourages violence and hatred against minorities.
India is the world’s largest disinformation hub, in large part because of its low digital literacy and excessive usage of social media. According to the 2024 Global Risks Report, the country’s current economic disparities and pandemics have been overtaken by the spread of falsehoods and fake news. In addition to dividing society, this kind of propaganda is seriously undermining the democratic process. Fake news frequently sways public opinion, particularly on politically delicate occasions like elections. Social disorientation, political instability, and a detrimental effect on the democratic process are the outcomes of this. Citizens must receive digital education to solve this issue, and social media companies must put robust fact-checking procedures in place.
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