TY - JOUR

T1 - Fake News and the Economy of Emotions

T2 - Problems, Causes, Solutions

AU - Bakir, Vian

AU - McStay, Andrew

PY - 2018

Y1 - 2018

N2 - This paper examines the 2016 US presidential election campaign to identify problems with, causes of, and solutions to, the contemporary fake news phenomenon. To do this we employ textual analysis and feedback from engagement, meetings and panels with technologists, journalists, editors, non-profits, public relations firms, analytics firms and academics during the globally-leading technology conference, South-by-South West, in March 2017. We further argue that what is most significant about the contemporary fake news furore is what it portends: the use of personally and emotionally targeted news produced by algo-journalism and what we term ‘empathic media’. In assessing solutions to this democratically problematic situation, we recommend that greater attention be paid to the role of digital advertising in causing, and combating both the contemporary fake news phenomenon, and the near-horizon variant of empathically-optimised automated fake news.

AB - This paper examines the 2016 US presidential election campaign to identify problems with, causes of, and solutions to, the contemporary fake news phenomenon. To do this we employ textual analysis and feedback from engagement, meetings and panels with technologists, journalists, editors, non-profits, public relations firms, analytics firms and academics during the globally-leading technology conference, South-by-South West, in March 2017. We further argue that what is most significant about the contemporary fake news furore is what it portends: the use of personally and emotionally targeted news produced by algo-journalism and what we term ‘empathic media’. In assessing solutions to this democratically problematic situation, we recommend that greater attention be paid to the role of digital advertising in causing, and combating both the contemporary fake news phenomenon, and the near-horizon variant of empathically-optimised automated fake news.

KW - digital advertising

KW - empathic media

KW - Trump election

KW - fake news

KW - Facebook

KW - emotion

U2 - 10.1080/21670811.2017.1345645

DO - 10.1080/21670811.2017.1345645

M3 - Article

VL - 6

SP - 154

EP - 175

JO - Digital Journalism

JF - Digital Journalism

SN - 2167-0811

IS - 2

ER -