Impact of Fake News: The Alleged College Rape

A noticeable upsurge of protests over an alleged rape of a female student in a private college has been noticed in Lahore, Pakistan. The allegation was very quickly widely circulated on social media. The authorities denied the validity of the report but, it triggered mass demonstrations by students. The quantum of demonstrations is alarming of the devastating impact of fake news on public perception, social unrest, and institutional integrity.

The Incident and Role of Social Media

Initially there were two social media pages where the allegation was spotted. The hype was noticed when different social media platforms were flooded with related posts. All of such posts claimed that a female student had been sexually assaulted by a security guard at a private college in Lahore, Pakistan. The unverified information spread like wildfire. The demonstrations of students protesting against the alleged crime grew with demands of justice. The protests continued despite official statements and investigations which indicated that there was no solid evidence to support the allegations. As reported by Devdiscourse and Dunya News, whole demonstrations were controlled by the power of viral misinformation​. This incident is a typical example to explain that how can false information escalate the unrest in society via social media.

Similar Incidents

This incident is similar to some other cases in which social media has been used as a tool to spread fake news. Below are some important incidents of impact of fake news across the world:

UK Roits – 2024

According to Wikipedia three young girls were killed during a dance class. Considering this incident an opportunity of fan following, fake news was circulated on social media. The news wrongly attributed the crime to a Muslim asylum seeker. This fueled protests and violent clashes across different cities. Riots erupted in UK after misinformation was spread online through social media platforms like Telegram and X (formerly Twitter).

The incident indicates significant role of social media on impact of fake news. It may escalate public emotions and trigger violence.

Bangladesh Regime Change

Social media played a significant role in the political turmoil in Bangladesh, particularly during protests that led to a regime change. Youth movements, heavily depended on platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Social media was instrumental in mobilizing public sentiments against the government. Social media accounts managed by student coordinators became key channels for disseminating information. Despite internet disruptions imposed by the government social media was being used as a medium for communication and coordination. Even memes and anonymous users on social media became advocates which helped in spreading messages and gain international attention.

COVID-19 Vaccine Misinformation

Incident: During the COVID-19 pandemic, widespread of fake news about vaccines caused confusion among public. False claims that vaccines will lead to infertility, severe side effects, or even death created a lot of hurdles to run successful campaign. Many conspiracy theories were spread via WhatsApp and Facebook, leading to significant reluctance against vaccine.

Impact: The misinformation caused delay in the vaccination drive, because people refused to get vaccinated. This led to an increase in COVID-19 cases in some regions and placed extra pressure on healthcare system.

Government Reaction: The Indian government took following measures to counter the spread of misinformation:-

• Launch awareness campaigns
• Deployment of fact-checking mechanisms
• Removal of misleading content from social media platforms
• Arrest of individuals responsible for spreading fake news.

United States – 2020 Presidential Election Misinformation

Incident: In the wake of U.S. presidential election 2020, social media platforms were flodded with misinformation about election fraud. Widely spread fake news, particularly related to postal ballots alleged tampering and rigging. These claims were widely amplified through social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Parler.

Impact: The misinformation reached its peak in Washington, U.S. on January 6, 2021. The groups who believed that the election was rigged, got engaged in violent protests. The country faced severe political chaos which resulted in elevated mistrust in their democratic institutions and election process.

Government Reaction: Government enforced social media companies like Twitter and Facebook to ban or suspend accounts linked to spread of false information. The accounts which were banned or suspended included accounts of political leaders. In addition to that U.S. LEAs arrested several individuals involved in the Capital hill riots.

Brazil – Amazon Rainforest Fires and Government Response

Incident: In 2019, to embarrass the Brazilian government, some social media activists started spreading misinformation regarding the Amazon rainforest fires. They were disseminating false information through social media that environmental NGOs were deliberately putting the forests on fire. Even though there was no evidence to support it; yet, impact of fake news gained a lot of traction on social media platforms like Twitter and WhatsApp.

Impact: The impact of fake news was so devastating that it generated confusion both in Brazil and international community. Actual cause of fire was illegal deforestation and agricultural activities; but the impact of fake news was so severe that no one paid attention to the actual cause of fire.

Government Reaction: The Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and his government were influenced with these false claims. This amplified the false negative narrative against NGOs. However, international bodies and environmental organizations stepped in to unearth the misinformation. They identified the actual cause of fire and raised their voices for action to stop deforestation.

United Kingdom – Brexit and Misinformation

Incident: During the Brexit referendum in 2016, social media platforms were extensively used to spread false information. Particularly wrong information regarding immigration and the manipulated economic impacts of leaving the European Union were spread via social media. Campaigns which were supporting Brexit emotionally blackmailed the voter by twisting facts, to influence public opinion.

Impact: This misinformation played a significant role in the final results of referendum. Reportedly many voters were influenced by false narratives, particularly related to economic prosperity and sovereignty. The result of Brexit led to years of political uncertainty, economic instability, and division within U.K.

Government Reaction: UK government acknowledged the role of fake news after Brexit. UK began to work with technology companies to bring misleading political advertisements under some regulations. The Government also initiated investigations into foreign interference and misinformation campaigns during the referendum.

Historical Review

These developments are similar to earlier global protests which relied on social media, for example the protests of Arab Spring and Ukraine in 2014. In each case, social media has facilitated these movements to bypass traditional state controlled media. This upsurge of use of social media also had accusations of foreign influence.

Understanding How Social Media Works

Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram operate on such algorithms that prioritize content based on user engagements. Controversial posts normally gain more reactions, comments, and shares. Therefore, these platforms work on keeping users active and sensational. That is why fake news and stories, which are designed to trigger emotions, can easily become more visible than verified reports.

Moreover, these social media platforms allow for the creation of groups and pages where like-minded individuals can share and discuss specific topics. In many cases, these groups become echo chambers where users only see information that is related to their existing beliefs. It makes it easier for fake news to succeed.

Some social media platforms have introduced automated fact checking and content moderation systems. Huge volume of data being circulated on social media makes it difficult for these systems to monitor everything in real time. Resultantly fake news can circulate for hours or even days before it is flagged or removed by these automated systems.

How Fake News is Made Viral on Social Media

The process of making fake news viral on social media follows a pattern. Here’s how it generally works:

Source and Creation:

Often, fake news starts with an individual or group with a specific agenda. The agenda may be to defame an institution, spread political propaganda, or provoke social unrest. This can be done by manipulating facts, taking quotes out of context, or fabricating stories.

Early Sharing by Influencers or Bots:

Early exposure of a story ensures higher likelihood of the story to become viral. Therefore initial aim of this process is to gain traction. To achieve this goal, fake news is initially shared with individuals who have large number of followings. Another way to achieve this goal is use of bots which can automatically spread the information across multiple platforms.

Amplification through Engagement:

Social media algorithms prioritize the posts in their feeds with every user’s comment, share, or reaction to the post. As number of engagements (like, share, comment) of the post grows, it is shown to more and more people (impression). Controversial or sensational stories often get the most traction, therefore, fake news are susceptible of becoming viral more conveniently.

Echo Chambers and Confirmation Bias:

Social media platforms create echo chambers where users find content of their interest and belief. When people share and interact within that echo chamber, fake news is reinforced, making it harder to identify.

Mainstream Media Pick-Up:

Sometimes, viral stories and posts on social media draws the attention of mainstream media outlets. This further amplifies the fake news by giving it a lift of legitimacy.

The Impact of Fake News

Impact of fake news like the alleged campus rape in Lahore, Pakistan can have far reaching consequences which impacts various aspects of society. Below are some of the key affected areas:

Social Unrest:

Fake news can incite protests, as witnessed in the case of the Lahore students demonstrations. When people believe that they are fighting for justice, the situation becomes harder to control. Due to widespread chaos, misinformation is hard to washout even when the truth is revealed.

Institutional Damage:

Despite the fact that the concerned college has hundreds of thousands student across the country, fake news about the campus rape destroyed its reputation. Despite denials from the college administration, LEA and the Government, the damage to its credibility and public image had already been done.

Mistrust in Media and Authorities:

Fake news can destroy public trust in both media outlets and government institutions. When people feel that the news that is conveyed to them is unreliable, they become more inclined to conspiracy theories and lose their trust in any official statement.

Public Health and Safety Risks:

In some cases, fake news can directly threaten public health or safety. For instance, misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines discouraged many from getting vaccinated. Similarly, the spread of fake news about rape case in Lahore created unnecessary panic and fear among female students.

Legal and Political Consequences:

Worldwide, Governments including Pakistan, have recognized the negative impact of fake news. This has led to efforts to regulate social media platforms more strictly including installation of national firewall. However, some critics advocate that such regulations and monitoring could be used to limit freedom of speech or to control political narratives.

Solutions to Combat Fake News

Addressing the problem of fake news requires a multidirectional approach like:

Education and Awareness:

The key is to teach users to critically evaluate the content before they start believing it. Digital literacy campaigns must be initiated to encourage curious aptitude so that before believing any type of information floated on social media is first verified by the users.

Stronger Regulations:

The time has come when Governments have to work with social media companies to create better systems for flagging and rapidly removing fake news. However, care must be taken to avoid hindrances in freedom of speech.

Fact Checking Mechanisms:

Independent fact checkers can play a crucial role in identification of fake news. Platforms like Facebook have partnered with third-party organizations to flag posts with misleading information.

Algorithm Changes:

Social media platforms also need to readjust their algorithms to prioritize verified information and suppress accounts that spread false or misleading information.

Conclusion

The alleged campus rape incident in Lahore, Pakistan is just one example of impact of fake news and indication that how can it have a deep impact on society. Because of devastating dynamics of social media, impact of fake news can quickly become out of control. From initiation of protests to damaging individual and institutional reputations, it can rapidly achieve its targets. To combat this growing problem, we will have to take multi directional approach. Both social media users and social media platforms will have to take proactive steps to verify information. This is the only way to prevent the spread of fake news and misinformation. This incident is an eye opener for the Governments that the fight against fake news is one of the most important issues of today’s digital age.