To begin with, it is necessary to clarify the distinction between the terms fake news, disinformation and misinformation precisely because the above often confuses people. “Both disinformation and misinformation use wrong facts, only that the disinformation was made knowingly and with some intention, while misinformation is actually some wrong information or something that pretends to be information and had no intention of deceiving anyone in that sense. Fake news is a “story” that does not have any information or has rare information, deliberately created and constructed in order not to actually convince people of something that has no closeness to the truth or to real life”, says Ančić, “Everything has a certain danger. If often misinformation that is not intended is placed in the media, then this can develop a certain mistrust towards the media as such. Even though fake news and misinformation are far more dangerous, because with them, someone, some people or some interests, very consciously and actively organize themselves to spread such stories and deliberately lead people on a completely wrong track.”
Through the conversation, Ančić also explains the concept of an echo chamber and its connection to social networks: “We join a certain circle, that circle is similar to us in terms of values, certain patterns of behavior, certain perspectives, and then it is easier to stay in that chamber because the individual has the impression when surrounded by like-minded people that he is actually right and that the opinions he has created that generate the perspectives he has are correct because those others are needed to confirm the truth to the individual. And there is a problem because social networks today, when I think about it, function exactly like that.” He adds that the book Surveillance Capitalism explains the above perfectly, that is, how social networks push people into echo chambers and then keep them there with exactly the information that matches their values and perspectives.
He emphasizes that it is important to understand which social positions generate a certain tendency towards misinformation, conspiracy theories, and the like, because only in this way can a way be found to reduce this.
Listen to the podcast and learn more about the distinction between the terms disinformation, fake news and misinformation, the importance of storytelling, echo chambers and the impact on society and social processes.
Branko Ančić holds a PhD in sociology from the University of Zagreb and works as a sociologist at the Institute for Social Research in Zagreb as a senior research associate. Over the years, he has taught at the Faculty of Law in Zagreb and the Faculty of Medicine in Rijeka. During his scientific and research career, he has also participated in and led numerous domestic and international projects. He is involved in research on sustainability and sustainable potential for societies oriented towards growth, as well as research on social inequalities.
Funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU. The views and opinions expressed are those of the author only and do not necessarily reflect the official views of the European Union or the European Commission, nor of the Agency for Electronic Media. The European Union and the European Commission, nor the Agency for Electronic Media, cannot be held responsible for them.
