Information Cascade of Fake News
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/20/business/media/how-fake-news-spreads.html?_r=0
Information cascade was a topic taught during class in which information, especially fake information can easily be passed along to others through various means of social media. Most of the fake information is re-shared and never fact checked and easily propagates amongst social media users, in turn, promoting fake news.
In this scenario, one user with such a small fan base had taken a photo of bus’s packed with people and said they had been hired for an anti-trump rally and posted it on his twitter with only 40 followers. Due to information cascade, this effect began to propagate and exponentially escalate to each of those followers networks.
Taking this to the next step, posting this on other social medias such as Reddit and it reached the top of the front page. Here’ people do not fact check yet again and just accept the information for what it is and by word of mouth or sharing on facebook pass on this incorrect information yet again. This brings up an interesting point on whether social medias should be monitoring better on these types of articles.
From the theory of networks and information cascade, we know how people may believe they hold a minority opinion on certain topics like this and may conitnue to be shared consistently and reach more individuals.