Table of contentsMedia and fake newsStudents and sharing of fake newsStudents and media educationDetection and solutionsReferencesThe purpose of this study is to research the spread and recognition of fake news for students students. For the purposes of this study, the spread of fake news is generally defined as the sharing of inaccurate, biased, or otherwise non-credible articles, reports, and “news” sources. Fake news is not a new concept, however, the platforms on which fake news and bias are spread are new and ever-changing. Propaganda will always exist and it has finally made its way to the internet, which is now the fastest way for fake news to spread. With the daily evolution of social media and the Internet, there are many ways to not only obtain information, but also report and share it quickly. Many branches of social media are used in today's world, especially sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the newer Snapchat. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Even though younger generations are more tech-savvy, there is still an epidemic of fake news. Misinformed youth leads to misinformed futures. These new social platforms make it incredibly easy to spread and disseminate information, and modern technology makes it easier to create fake news sources that have a sense of credibility around them, whether they are actually credible or not. With the ease with which information reaches massive reach, misinformation has become not only widespread, but also compelling to the audience it reaches. This article will cover the studies carried out to support the overall objective of this study. The sections that support the research carried out are: Media and Fake News, Students and Fake News Sharing, Effects of Fake News, Students and Media Literacy, and Detection and Solutions.Media and Fake newsFake news has been widespread since the development of written language. , from political propaganda written on papyrus to satirical pieces, and from yellow journalism to government propaganda during the world wars (Emanuelson 2018). Social media plays an important role in spreading these stories. According to Mitchell, Gottfried and Matsa. 61% of Millennials receive political information from Facebook rather than traditional sources like television (Mitchell, Gottfried, and Matsa 2015). Over the past decade or even five years, the reach of information has changed dramatically, from print to radio to television. to the Internet to find out what the next step will be. The low cost, easy access, and rapid dissemination of information on social media enable people to seek information in a timely manner (Shu 2017). Fake news spreads faster when citizens share their content on social media platforms. In the three months leading up to the 2016 U.S. presidential election, more than 156 misleading news articles were shared by 37 million people on Facebook (Tsipursky 2018). Vosough, Roy, and Aral believe that what constitutes good fake news is: “Fake news was more novel than real news, suggesting that people were more likely to share new information.While the false stories inspired fear, disgust, and surprise in responses, the true stories inspired anticipation, sadness, joy, and confidence” (Vosoughi, Roy, Aral 2018). Fake news can be classified as: “intentionally misleading information; large-scale hoaxes; jokes taken literally; biased reporting of real facts; and stories where the truth is controversial” (Emanuelson 2018). Students and the Sharing of Fake News Students are increasingly turning to social media for their daily news. In a 2015 Pew Research Center report on millennials' social media use, researchers noted that social media is the new television for younger generations and the number one source of political information. About 61% of millennials say they receive political news on Facebook. This is a much higher percentage than any other source of information (Little 2018). Most ways to identify fake news focused on fact-checking (Shu 2017). Recent social and psychological studies show the importance of using social media data to uncover connections with consumers believing fake news. Confirmation bias reveals the effects of consumers preferring to believe information that aligns with their existing opinions, leading to posting information that is not necessarily true. The Echo Chamber Effect is an effect that suggests that people tend to listen to those who are like-minded. This causes groupings and communities on social networks (Shu 2017). The motivations behind fake news can vary from financial gain via advertising to influencing political views. Whatever the motive behind fake news, the success of any propaganda campaign will ultimately depend on its impact on the real world and how the world responds (Andorfer 2018). Effects of Fake News Some of the effects of fake news can be incredibly damaging. to society as a whole. One of the largest factions of society affected by fake news is in modern politics and economics. According to Waldman, fake news has several major effects in the media. An increase in fake news leads to confusion about the truth and leads to a decrease in public awareness of the issues. Furthermore, the more falsehoods are presented as truth by the media, the less impact the real facts have. Furthermore, fake news creates a highly polarized society and can create serious social divides (Waldman 2018). Fake news isn't just about politics. Dr. Brittany Seymour is an assistant professor of oral health policy at Harvard University. She believes that viral disinformation threatens public health. With more than 80% of people searching for health information online, misinformation poses a threat to public health, with vaccines being a prime example (Vogel 2017). In 2014, one of the largest measles outbreaks occurred in over a generation. Seymour says, “We were able to connect this, in part, to parents who found scary information on the Internet and chose not to vaccinate their children” (Vogel, 2017, p. 7). Additionally, controversy around water fluoridation led to a 2014 study with serious limitations that found the chemical lowered children's IQs. Seymour goes on to say that within hours the article had caused public panic and people.