Fake news on online social media: propagation and reactions to misinformation in search of clicks

Abstract

Fake news, created stories, hoaxes and headlines that are clickbaits. There is nothing new about it. The difference, at the present time, is the potential of fake news circulation in the online environment, mainly due to the use of online social networks. This article aims to highlight the characteristics of the online world that facilitate the dissemination of fake news, to list recent examples of fake news that have gained great proportions thanks to the spread in social networks - especially in the pre-election period in the United States in 2016-, and map some of the main reactions to what we call the “fake news problem”, organized according to the nature of its authors in four large groups: (1) Digital platforms; (2) Research organizations and civil society and the Media; (3) Governments and state bodies; and (4) International organizations.