The Impact of Fake News on Society and Health

Fake news exploits sensationalism, leading to misinformation that can harm individuals and society.

### The Dangers of Fake News: From Celebrity Rumors to Misinformation During COVID-19
* 📰 Recently, a sensational fake news story circulated about Asada Mao, claiming she made an **extreme choice**, prompting visits from Kim Yuna, Ando Mikki, and even the **Prime Minister of Japan** to Seoul National University Hospital.
* 📺 This outrageous rumor gained traction on YouTube, amassing **over 500,000 views and 6,000 likes within a day**, highlighting the allure of **celebrity death rumors** in attracting attention.
* 💰 The financial incentives behind spreading fake news are significant, as individuals can potentially earn **hundreds of millions monthly** from views alone, with some believing that "**each view is worth 1 won**."
* 🔥 The impact of misinformation can be severe, as seen during the COVID-19 pandemic when **false claims about 5G technology led to arson incidents** in the UK, showcasing the **real-world consequences of such rumors**.
* 💔 Misinformation has also caused tragic outcomes, such as the belief that **bleach could cure COVID-19**, resulting in **at least 800 deaths worldwide**, with specific incidents reported in Iran and Colombia.
* 📊 A study revealed that South Korea struggled with filtering misinformation, ranking among the **worst**, while misconceptions about antibiotics and garlic's health benefits persist among the population.
* 🔍 To combat fake news, media literacy programs are essential, and a **critical approach to consuming information** can help individuals **discern between fact and fiction**.
* 🤖 An experiment showed that AI outperformed humans in identifying fake news, emphasizing the need for **critical thinking skills** to navigate the **complex landscape of information** in today's digital age.

So, Professor, what was the most outrageous fake news you recently came across? It was about a celebrity news story that came out recently. They mentioned something scientific regarding Kim Yuna's rival, Asada Mao. You know, Asada made an extreme choice at her apartment, and to commemorate her, not only Kim Yuna and Ando Mikki but also famous figures like Yoo Jae-suk and Im Young-woong, as well as the Prime Minister of Japan, visited Seoul National University Hospital. This story became a huge topic on YouTube for a while. It’s hard to believe that someone would spread such a lie about a perfectly fine person. Strangely enough, just one day after the video was posted, it garnered over 500,000 views and around 6,000 likes. In fact, celebrity death rumors are a common type of fake news.

It's a material, of course. Even abroad, people like Harrison Ford, Emma Watson, and Jackie Chan have already died multiple times. You all died. The topic of death is a very provocative subject that attracts people. Recently, there was an article about Hyorin's death. Oh, really? But, of course, I feel a bit envious of the high view counts. But that doesn't mean so many people should just jump on it, right? This is really common on YouTube. There are so many examples. For instance, a title like The Reason the UK Government Added Taekwondo as a Mandatory Subject in the Curriculum makes you want to click on it, right? But that's not something that actually happens with Taekwondo. I'm just mentioning an actual YouTube title. Europe's Archaeological Community Shocked by the Discovery of Gojoseon Artifacts in Finland. Don't you want to click on that?

The reason why the South Korean flag is displayed at Angkor Wat in Cambodia makes you want to click on it, right? It's all about the views, and this is what we call national pride, which stimulates our sense of pride in our country. This makes us hesitant yet curious enough to click on it. Also, since I’m abroad, whenever there’s news about Nepal, I definitely check it out. The fundamental reason for this is that views translate to income. The more views there are, the more revenue I earn. There are many people who are willing to spread false information and fake news just to make money. If we calculate, for example, that each view is worth 1 won, some people can earn hundreds of millions a month. I really don’t know what to believe anymore. The bigger problem is that these sensational articles don’t just end as mere incidents.

Two years ago, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were real incidents that occurred. In the UK, when rumors spread that COVID-19 was transmitted through 5G mobile signals, local residents set fire to a 5G base station. Since last Thursday, there have been over a hundred incidents of arson in places like Birmingham and Liverpool. It's true; it's really shocking. I was taken aback when I first heard about it. This kind of rumor is not just about someone making a little money; it's a serious issue that can harm individuals or disrupt social systems. That's why media literacy, which helps filter out fake news, is so important. We need to ensure that programs like EBS Media Literacy Plus are consistently aired. So, let's take a look at some of the false information that was reported during the COVID-19 pandemic.

There are fake news stories claiming that bleach can cure COVID-19, which have led to at least 800 deaths worldwide. In Iran, drinking disinfectant alcohol resulted in 525 deaths and 95 cases of blindness over two months. This is a true story; it actually happened. In Colombia, people believed that a toxic substance used as a disinfectant, chlorine dioxide, was effective against COVID-19, and they actually drank it. In Iran, there were rumors that alcohol could kill the virus. The alcohol we use for hand sanitizers is effective, but in Iran, where alcohol is particularly banned, only illegal alcohol is available. People ended up drinking this unsafe alcohol, resulting in hundreds of deaths. If accurate information had been communicated, such lives could have been saved, which is a very unfortunate situation.

In fact, there have been real damages caused by such fake news and misinformation. It seems very serious; it's truly serious. I also saw that in Hinduism, there are people who actually worship alcohol as a deity. In India, there are some who even consume and apply the excrement of the deity, believing that it will eliminate COVID-19. People were actually bathing in it and consuming it; there were videos showing this. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there were so many rumors. Professor Cham-hyung even declared a kind of war against fake news and created a website to combat it. Since our country is relatively close to China, we experienced COVID-19 earlier and encountered a lot of fake news. Observing the resulting social chaos, it was evident that both our country and China had already...

The information that has been fact-checked was collected and quickly delivered to countries where COVID-19 was just beginning, discarding the rumor campaign called The Fact. If someone has seen the fact-checking first, they won't be deceived by rumors later, as it wouldn't be interesting. So, in a way, it can be seen as a vaccine against rumors; that was the idea. During times like the COVID-19 pandemic, it is crucial to read properly, think critically, and determine whether the information is correct or not. An interesting study was conducted in 2020, during the early days of COVID-19, examining how well different countries filtered out misinformation and fake news related to the pandemic. Six countries, including South Korea, participated in this experiment. Unfortunately, South Korea was among the worst in filtering out misinformation.

It has now been revealed that we are vulnerable to misinformation and fake news. In Korea, people often say that they eat a lot of garlic, and especially Koreans believe that because they consume so much garlic, they will never get sick. They even refer to themselves as a garlic nation. I must admit, I thought I should eat more garlic to stay healthy, so I ate it a lot, especially when I wrapped it with meat. However, eating garlic can upset your stomach. It's true. Furthermore, regarding the question of whether antibiotics are effective in treating COVID-19, only 36% of people answered correctly that it is false. This is far below the level in the UK. Why did we get such results? Only one in three people answered correctly. There is a reason for this: among OECD countries, Korea ranks third in antibiotic usage, and they use a lot of antibiotics.

There is a perception among people that antibiotics are a kind of universal cure. Many believe that eating garlic can prevent COVID-19 and infections, which is one of the biggest misconceptions in South Korea among six countries. This is because people consume too much garlic and have a certain pride in it. You might remember that during the SARS outbreak, Koreans claimed that eating kimchi with a lot of garlic helped them avoid getting infected. That has been proven to be false information. However, at that time, there was a lot of pride surrounding garlic. It feels similar to scams; if we know the characteristics of scammers, we can prevent ourselves from falling victim. Are there characteristics of fake news? What we have referred to as fake news so far means information that spreads on social media or the internet while pretending to be news. In the U.S., there were many famous political cases...

I collected over a million messages related to dating economics and analyzed the data. It revealed a pattern unique to the spread of fake news. Let's take a look at what that is. Next, here is a post that circulated on the internet when the rumor about Asada Mao's death spread. Please find expressions that indicate it is fake news. 

Yes, when fake news spreads, there are linguistic characteristics to look for. Can you identify which characteristics they are? You all did a great job with the hints from Susan and Cho-A. There are certain expressive features that rumors tend to show. First, in the article, there are phrases like Wasn't she hospitalized? or Didn't she do this? This conveys uncertainty and a sense of not knowing 100%. It's more about believing and being suspicious. Phrases like Don't say anything to me; I heard it from YouTube reflect this uncertainty.

First of all, trust is not easily gained. And when expressions like I heard somewhere, but I'm not sure come up, it's good to have some skepticism. We should be careful. So, how are these people consuming news and falling for fake news? I prepared a simple experiment with a camera. Let's take a look together. 

When driving, I used to see people using their phones, either resting it on their knees or wedging it between their thighs while sitting and driving. Over about one or two years, I noticed it started to negatively affect my health. It's said that when you shower, electromagnetic waves disappear, so I always make sure to take a shower. 

I've also heard a lot of stories about this from people around me. They talk about it all the time, year after year.

This is my thought: I've tried this, and that's why I think this way. I can definitely feel that this is better for me. When I occasionally smoke again, I can immediately sense that my body feels worse when I'm tired. I've been smoke-free for about 26 years now, and whether it's traditional cigarettes or e-cigarettes, smoking always affects the body's blood pressure. It may not be as high as 95%, but there is definitely some difference. I feel that the difference is significant. This thought also lingers in my mind. One, two, three. One, two, three. If you sleep with a fan on, you can reduce your meals. One, two, three. Since I came out of a closed space, I've always heard about this before, so even while reading this article, I just...

I didn't think of it as a particularly special new article. It turns out to be a myth that has been debunked, and it's very old. It feels like something I've known for a long time, and I had believed it to be true for so long. When I heard that it suddenly wasn't true, I felt quite surprised. I might look it up later. I used to see this a lot when I was younger, and it was even frequently featured on broadcasts back then. There were incidents where people actually passed away while sleeping with a fan on, which requires special attention. In each case, they were found dead in their homes with the fan running. I've never heard of such a phenomenon before, but after coming to Korea, I have seen many videos about it.

It's hot, and people are under this illusion. In Nepal, they openly release these rumors, and it is said that this rumor about exports even circulated in Mexico for a while. They even experienced the same Korean wave. Surprisingly, many people read the articles but instead of looking for evidence in the content, they mostly say things like I think or As far as I know, basing their opinions on their own experiences or preconceived notions. That's right. I was a bit surprised too, but many people tend to judge based on their own experiences or things they've heard at some point. Because of this, rather than carefully reading the text and making judgments, there seems to be a tendency to be drawn more to what they want to see. When relying on such unclear personal experiences, as you saw earlier, the queen of fact-checking, a woman in her 40s...

At the end, those who have collapsed, let's take a look at some articles that confused people and talk about them together. A UK health report states that e-cigarettes are 95% less harmful than traditional cigarettes. You've probably heard this quite a bit, especially with the emergence of liquid tobacco and heated tobacco products, which are said to be less harmful than traditional cigarettes. However, when you see this report stating that they are 95% less harmful, and since it comes from a health report, it’s easy to believe. In the middle of the content, it mentions a representative from Smart 000, who is making a statement. They say that products sold on the street are not certified, implying that you should only buy for yourself. It seems like they are advertising properly, with promotional phrases or even some extreme expressions included.

First, I suggest that you should be skeptical and search for opposing opinions as well. This is quite necessary. Moreover, it seems that many people read only the headlines of articles without going through the entire content. For instance, there are numerous cases where someone sees a headline like E-cigarettes are less harmful than traditional cigarettes and simply agrees without further investigation. I recently had a similar experience. There is a member of the girl group Crayon Pop named ChoA, who recently got married. When the news of her marriage broke, there were congratulatory articles published. I realized that people tend to only look at the headlines, as they were congratulating her without reading the full article. Therefore, I believe we should approach articles with a critical eye. This is truly what it means to be aware and informed. Now, let me pose an interesting question: Who spreads fake news more, humans or AI?

Do you think humans will be able to choose well? Why do you think humans will win? Because the truth is, if we just focus, there’s nothing we can’t do. That’s why we’ve been working hard to improve ourselves. I also believe AI can find things well. When AI is given a specific instruction to find one thing, it doesn’t stray from that task. However, as we saw in the experimental video, people tend to go beyond that with personal opinions and other factors. Even the king has fallen. I’m curious about the results. We conducted an experiment where we mixed fake news and real news in equal parts to see who could identify them better: humans or AI. In this game, AI won. Humans performed slightly better than random guessing, achieving a level of 66%. For example, if there were 10 questions, that means they got 6 or 7 correct, while AI got more than 8 correct.

Why do you keep trying to outsmart AI? Still, we tend to judge based on our emotions and experiences, which leads us to have cognitive biases. However, AI lacks emotions and experiences, so it is less likely to fall for fake news. When analyzing data, we can see that people who are easily deceived by fake news tend to meet online and form communities, exchanging information among themselves. Within these groups, we can observe a pattern of blindly believing the rumors that arise. When it comes to identifying fake news, I want to be more like AI. Yes, really. Let me pose one last question. Hey, hero, let's challenge ourselves to identify fake news again. The following is an actual article reported by domestic media. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, a leading authority in the medical field, Dr. Franz Mesmer...

A study has been published stating that as chocolate consumption increases by country, the number of Nobel Prize winners per capita also rises. Is this claim in the article true? If you think so, raise your hand; if not, show an X. 

Let's break it down. One, two, three! Ah, I'm not falling for it anymore. We need to look at this critically. The title itself raises questions: Is the Nobel Prize really what humanity desires? Just look at how much people love chocolate; it's sweet and delightful. What’s the X here? You don't even need to read it to know it’s an X. How much does it make us feel good? So, it doesn’t logically connect, does it? According to this paper, my second child deserves a Nobel Prize because he consumes a significant amount of chocolate every day. 

In fact, we all raised our X hands, didn't we? We're not easily fooled. This research is actually from a well-known overseas institution.

It has been reported by the media. It’s a notable period, right? Every year, they select around 100 people, and I can’t express how significant that is. Influential, influential, influential. As you can see, as soon as the actual research content was revealed, it was introduced by Time, BBC, and Forbes. After seeing this, major media outlets in our country also reported on it. So, what is the answer, representative? To win a Nobel Prize, you have to eat chocolate? The content of the article is not true. It’s false. Currently, Kim and Pomus have issued a false report. To clarify, while it’s true that such an article was published, the paper you saw earlier was a fabricated study that solidified the risks of fake news. It was a fake paper.

You know, in short, it's quite astonishing how many people fall for this. The more absurd fact is that a report has now come out on how one would have to go about receiving a Nobel Prize in our country in the past, and this paper was genuinely used as evidence. We need to quickly delete this research. This is really deceiving even experts. But when you look at this article, it cites its sources, so one might think, Surely, they wouldn't deceive me, and just believe it without question. Who would suspect whether it's fake or created to mislead? Nowadays, there are many sources that seem plausible, with a mix of genuine and fake news. Especially those that include at least one piece of data or a graph. For example, if someone in a lab coat comes out saying, Dr. So-and-so shares health tips, even I would be tempted.

Spinach is good. If that's the case, then spinach and eggs appear throughout the week. I have a memory of this happening week after week. So, when I see this, I think, This is a bit strange, and I believe it's necessary for us to consider this. This is one of the typical types of fake news, and you can think of it as one of the techniques that appear in fake news. For an article to be credible, the evidence must be clear. Let's take a look at the key sentence that serves as the basis for this. According to a recent issue, Dr. Franz Mesdely at Roosevelt Hospital in the United States stated that the antioxidant flavonoid component is related to cognitive improvement, and this research has been blocked. When you hear this, it sounds really rhythmic. The key issue we need to pay attention to here is that countries with high chocolate consumption also have Nobel Prize winners.

The trend occupying the graph was quite clear. This is the key sentence, right? As you mentioned earlier, if the second child eats that much chocolate, they should win a Nobel Prize. I hope they do. I wish this were true, but it's not possible. So, this is what we call correlation. We can draw a positive correlation between countries that have won many Nobel Prizes and those that consume a lot of chocolate. However, we need to consider whether this is an actual causal relationship or just a coincidence. I have observed this causal relationship over the years, especially with my child who eats chocolate. The stains from chocolate on clothes are numerous, and chocolate stains are difficult to remove. This is certain. This is definitely true, regardless of the Nobel Prize.

The child was happy. So, usually, such statistics are often misused in fake news. Shall we look at the next news together? It's ice cream. Really! Right now, I'm a genius. I love chocolate ice cream the most. Please send me to KAIST; I will make a reservation right away. Yes, since the source is OECD and such, it seems impossible not to be deceived by this. It mentions that ice cream consumption and reading ability are related. If you look at this graph, it shows an upward trend. For example, countries that encourage keeping diaries tend to be wealthier, so they might have the economic ability to spend a lot on ice cream. One could infer that. However, that does not mean that eating a lot of ice cream will always enhance reading ability; that's a separate issue.

To avoid being deceived by such things, I would like to say that facts are multidimensional. So, when you read a text in the future, consider who the author is, where the government is from, and where the images come from. I tried to explain this in a multidimensional way, but it's not easy to articulate. If you can't explain it well, the likelihood of it being fake news is high. Ultimately, what’s more important is the ability to read and the context of how that text is disseminated. I believe this constitutes a comprehensive literacy. From now on, when you encounter something like chocolate or ice cream, you should look at it with a discerning eye. Just now, Kwanghee mentioned that it's important to be skeptical. If we maintain a somewhat skeptical attitude, we might be less susceptible to fake news. Our host, Bongtaekyu, is very skeptical.

It seems that there are many things, very many. Basically, I do not trust them. I have a very similar perspective, and I think it is important to have a habit of looking at things critically. For certain statistical data, if you feel it is important and questionable, you need to verify whether the statistics or the underlying evidence actually exist. However, when would an individual have the time to do all of this? Therefore, I think it is also important to create an environment where fact-checking can be done effectively.

"선풍기를 틀고 자면 질식사한다?" 아직도 믿고 계신가요? 가짜 뉴스가 판치는 세상, ‘진짜’를 가려내려면?│당신의 문해력│알고e즘

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EBS는 다양한 교양 문화 프로그램들과 전문성을 갖춘 교육정보 프로그램들을 통해 지식 뿐만 아니라 인문학적 소양과 교양을 두루 갖춘 가치있는 정보들을 전달하겠습니다.

EBSCulture (EBS 교양)

A recent fake news story about Asada Mao's extreme choice and the visit of famous figures to Seoul National University Hospital went viral, garnering over 500,000 views in just one day.

Celebrity death rumors, including those of Harrison Ford and Emma Watson, are common and often provoke high view counts on platforms like YouTube.

The spread of false information, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, has had serious consequences, leading to incidents like arson and tragic deaths from misguided beliefs.

The Impact of Fake News and Misinformation

Fake news and misinformation have caused real damages, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to social chaos and harmful beliefs.

Professor Cham-hyung's initiative to combat fake news through fact-checking and information delivery aimed to provide a "vaccine" against rumors.

South Korea's struggle with filtering out misinformation and the widespread belief in garlic's health benefits highlight the country's vulnerability to fake news.

The Impact of Personal Experience on Beliefs

Trust is hard to gain, and skepticism is important when consuming news.

The speaker shares personal experiences, such as the negative effects of phone use while driving and the impact of smoking on health.

They highlight the tendency of people to judge based on their own experiences and preconceived notions, rather than carefully reading and fact-checking information.

The Impact of Misleading Health Reports and Fake News

A UK health report claims e-cigarettes are 95% less harmful than traditional cigarettes, leading to confusion and skepticism.

Many people only read headlines, resulting in misinformation and blind agreement.

An experiment showed AI outperforming humans in identifying fake news, highlighting the need for a critical approach to information.

The False Correlation Between Chocolate Consumption and Nobel Prize Winners

A study claims that higher chocolate consumption in a country correlates with more Nobel Prize winners per capita, but this connection is illogical.

The research has been criticized as fabricated and has spread fake news, leading to confusion and misinformation.

The article's credibility is questionable, as it uses dubious techniques to present its findings and has been reported by major media outlets.

The graph shows a positive correlation between chocolate consumption and Nobel Prize winners, but it's unclear if there's a causal relationship.

Similarly, ice cream consumption is linked to reading ability, but wealthier countries may simply have the means to spend on both.

It's important to approach such statistics with skepticism and critically evaluate the author's intent and the context of the information.