The most interesting part of the discussion led by Professor Schwarz was that he drew attention to less traditional examples of fake news that many people overlook, perhaps demonstrating a level of hypocrisy in our campus community. According to Professor Schwarz, examples of fake news that people don’t usually consider include resume padding, spreading rumors about professors, sorority/fraternity emphasis on their philanthropic activities, etc. This was a really important perspective to bring because it shows that even in a society that is generally very critical of fake news, there are many people that constantly provide a different representation of reality.
Rose Scholars Fall 2017
Endless possibilities
I also thought that this was a very interesting perspective. As much as we are critical of the information we consume, we don’t realize how easily we get sucked into being a part of the fake news phenomenon. Sometimes, we tend to distort what is really happening and forget that this is essentially “distorting the truth,” thereby manipulating reality. Furthermore, we tend to justify it by saying that it’s okay if we do it if it benefits us and doesn’t harm anybody, but it isn’t okay if others do it to manipulate us. Very interesting point.