News outlets have been facing the rise of fake news in the past couple of years. Audiences and especially younger audiences are starting to avoid news completely. The Reuters Institute found in its annual survey that more and more people are avoiding news because it feels too negative or too overwhelming. People are choosing what they read and how to feel.
We live in a time where news has never been more accessible. Sadly, we also live in a time where fake news and misinformation have never spread faster. The two sit side by side.
National news outlets try to reach younger audiences by posting on social media and being very active on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. But there is a catch. TikTok works with algorithms, and those algorithms push into something called a filter bubble. We only see parts of the news that resonate with videos we already watch. This does not show us what is true, it shows us what feels right.
People create their own filter bubble without noticing it. A filter bubble forms when a platform adapts to your online behavior. For example, if you watch a video about fashion longer than a video about sports, you will get more videos about fashion, designers and influencers. News will barely show up on your feed. You determine what you see online by what you choose to click on, and how long you choose to watch it. That can be comforting, but also dangerous. If you only see the parts of the world that confirm what you already think, you slowly lose sight of the bigger picture. It’s like reading the same chapter of a book again and again and believing you’ve read the whole story.
Break the bubble
It’s not always easy to step outside your filter bubble, but it is possible. You can start by actively following accounts or news channels that represent different perspectives. If you mainly watch videos that confirm what you already think, you can try watching a video that challenges your opinion. Discussing news with friends or classmates can also help you see a topic from a different angle. Algorithms can limit what you see, but curiosity can break through that limitation.
Because a video looks professional, does not mean it is true. In those cases, it is important that people, especially younger people, learn to check what they see online.
Emotion plays a huge part in determining what we look at online. When a story makes us feel uncomfortable, angry or sad, we are most likely to not read that certain article of watch that certain video. Younger audiences go to social media if they want to find answers to their questions. That is why that group plays a key role in breaking that emotional filter bubble.
Social media is full of ‘self-made’ journalists, people claiming they know everything that happens in the news. Because a video looks professional, does not mean it is true. In those cases, it is important that people, especially younger people, learn to check what they see online.
It doesn’t require complex tools. Simple steps already help: check if other reputable outlets are reporting the same thing, look for the original source, or use reverse image search to verify photos. Small actions like these can make a big difference in reducing the spread of fake news. People who reflect critically on what they see don’t just protect themselves — they protect everyone around them.
The Reuters Institute Annual Survey
The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism is a research center at the University of Oxford. The research center explores the past, present and future journalism worldwide.
They make an annual survey about news consumption worldwide. This year, in a survey across 50 countries, 40 % of the respondents said they sometimes or often avoid news. That is an increase of 11% in less than ten years. This is mainly because people find the news too anxious or too negative.
To fix this, adolescents can start by not ignoring the news but watch it little by little. They can start following news outlets made for younger people (like NWS NWS NWS in Belgium). Those outlets tend to stay away from the heavy and emotional footage. They focus more on the facts.
Conclusion
We end up in a filter bubble without noticing, but that does not mean we have to stay there. By factchecking what we see and looking for the original source, we can protect ourselves and others from fake news. We have to start seeing news as an obligation and not as a choice.
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RESEARCH | ARTICLE © Paulien Beckx
