In the modern world, fake news can pervade many areas and spread like wildfire. It has been recently reported that a survey conducted among the youth of the National Capital Region in Delhi claims that 91% believe fake news can impact voting decisions, while the other 80% say that they have had their opinions changed regarding public personalities or events due to fake news.

Social media, that major channel of spreading hoaxes, continues to play the most important role in propagating erroneous information. An Ipsos survey on behalf of UNESCO reached out to almost 20,000 people aged between 16 and 64 years from 28 countries. It found out that 56% of these had been getting news from social platforms. However, 68% believed that the most misinformation would be found on the same sites. This is clear proof of the ease with which fake news hatches us and turns us into opinion fixers.

New Year's Eve celebrations in Birmingham were attended by thousands of people, who came to witness fireworks that were not to happen. A fake AI-generated article advertised the nonexistent event. Such cases show how fabricated newspaper articles can dominate our actions and awareness. 

Moreover, fake news can be responsible for unnecessary panic and anger as well. In northern Michigan, people protested fiercely against a clean energy project because they were falsely informed about clearing a forest for solar panels. However, the land was, in fact, already in industrial use. This is an example showing that fake news diverts us from the real issues.

We should: 

Verify the source of the information before believing it and sharing it. 

Check against news facts throughout the sites. 

Be careful with the shouting headlines that aim to draw attention. 

Keep us alert and ask whether what we do know is true or not, regarding the pieces of information that we process into our daily lives. 

Fake news will not manipulate us, and we can keep our minds focused and clear on what is inevitable as soon as we are quick to be inquiring and critical about the information we come across.