The Impact of New Media on Shaping Public Opinion in the Post-Industrial Era. Government Regulations in the Fight Against Disinformation

Abstract

This article focuses on the process of spreading fake news on the Internet.
Today, by means of the media, users are able to distribute and disseminate
a range of alternative content. The article shows the changes and consequences
that users of new media must face. As a result of the unprecedented
development of technology and disinformation that is spreading thereby,
the tendency to fix erroneous beliefs in society is becoming more and more
visible. The Internet creates perfect conditions to give autonomous cells
an opportunity to quickly exchange information and confirm their beliefs.
While traditional media are subject to institutional control, in the case of
social media communication possibilities seem unlimited as they are subject
only to social control, which in turn translates into the amount of rippling
pernicious content.
Dynamic development of technological solutions directly affects the
placement of disinformation in another dimension. Fake news has become
such an important problem in the media and social discourse that initiatives
have been taken in many countries to combat the spread of disinformation
on the Web. The key element is, above all, building public awareness and
identifying false messages and sources that publish ‘fake news’.