Electronic Media Misinformation And Misdirection

Running head: ELECTRONIC MEDIA: MISINFORMATION ANDMISDIRECTION 1

Electronic Media: Misinformation and Misdirection

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ELECTRONIC MEDIA: MISINFORMATION AND MISDIRECTION 2

Electronic Media: Misinformation and Misdirection

Electronic media refers to all forms of communication that uses electronics or

electromechanical processes to present messages to multiple audiences in different locations

simultaneously. This new form of media has revolutionized communication by enabling

speedy transmission, wide coverage, instant access to information, exchange of feedback, and

diffusion of different cultures. Despite the multiple advantages, electronic media has

increased the propagation of false and misleading narratives creating the possibilities of

misinformation and misdirection. The electronic media community is facing a rise cases in

which false new and doctored narratives are spread through various electronic media

platforms. The complex dynamics within which electronic media operate have also made it

difficult to stop the spread of false information. While many degrees of misinformation exist

on various electronic media channels, from accidental to deliberate, the most targeted areas

include politics, health, business, and education.

The electronic media makes it easy to mix credible facts with fantasy or fiction hence

misleading the gullible masses. Mintz (2002) categorizes misleading electronic information

into six classes which include hacks, product fictitious, parodies or spoofs, counterfeit, and

disinformation. Counterfeit content intentionally distributes discriminatory or factually

misleading information aimed at misguiding information seekers. For example, there exist

specific product sites that, although selling viable products, offer completely fabricated and

deceptive product information (Mintz, 2002). The internet has also seen the proliferation of

bogus websites that present biased or counterfeit information. There has also been a

proliferation of suspicious websites that collect other people's personal information while also

propagating deceitful information (Sheble, 2018).

The ease of information manipulation and transferability of electronic content has

resulted in the dissemination of deliberately false information by individuals and groups. The

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primary goal of deliberate misinformation is to influence policies or shape opinions of those

who receive it. According to Medoff and Kaye (2010), different forms of electronic media

have been used by conflicting sides to propel a barrage of propaganda to win the trust or

sympathy of the public to their side. In the fall of 2000, for example, the Israeli government

claimed that Palestinians had deliberately jammed fake traffic in a number of Israeli Web

sites that were sympathetic to the Israel state. The multiple sites had been hacked and the

content and files tampered with and modified (Medoff & Kaye, 2010).

Various electronic media platforms have become easy access points for

misinformation since users often access and quickly spread information without confirming

either their truth or validity. Several other users can also change data or share their own

thoughts hence exacerbating the extent of which information is disseminated. Compared to

other forms of traditional media which are often reviewed and edited, electronic media are

not filtered and may be used to confuse, manipulate, or misdirect the target group. The lack

of verification of electronically transmitted media content often makes it difficult to verify its

truthfulness, accuracy, and balance. The internet, for example, has increased the extent to

which information is plagiarized, fabricated or exaggerated to suit the interests of an

individual or a specific group.

In sum, modern-day use of electronic media has expanded remarkably. Television,

radio, fax, CD-ROMs, DVDs, and the Internet all get used to transfer and share information

in different ways. In the process of producing the information, journalists and others express

unverified information that ends up being presented as facts. In the Internet, for example,

thousands of websites present nonfactual and un-researched information by independent

individuals. Academic and social researchers who visit these websites pick the information

believing it is invaluable. Possible areas of misinformation and misdirection on electronic

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media include web hoaxing, e-commerce fraud, quack doctor sites, and skewed

advertisements and marketing.

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References

Mintz, A. P. (2002). Web of Deception. Misinformation on the Internet. New York:

Information Today, Inc.

Medoff, N. J. & Kaye, B. (2010). Electronic Media: Then, Now, and Later. Waltham: Focal

Press.

Sheble, L. (2018). Misinformation and mass audiences. Austin: University of Texas Press.

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