InfoJungle

The construct of “psychology of panic” was first articulated by Hadley Cantril and popularised in his famous book “Invasion of Mars: A study in the psychology of panic”. This study emerged spontaneously at one night 1938 when the radio broadcast the dramatic play “The World of the worlds” written by Orson Wells. This radio channel raised a panic reaction in a remarkable part of American society. Two social scientists Herta Herzog and Paul Felix Lazarsfeld immediately started interviewing people how did they check the credibility of the information and they created a simple classification of listeners:

1. Those who checked the internal evidence of the broadcast

2. Those who checked the broadcast against other information and learned that it was a play

3. Those who tried to check the program against other information but who, for various reasons, continued to believe the broadcast was an official news report.

4. Those who did not attempt to check the broadcast or the event (Cantril 1952).

This study was created ad hoc on a rare event which showed the society how media could be a powerful tool with adjusting people’s opinion or minds. Moreover, this fact is overly misused for propaganda or creating so-called “fake news” which includes many kinds of manipulation. We can find a definition as fabricated information that mimics news media content in form but not in organizational process or intent (Lazer 2018).

A simple classification can be used for next research. It includes: fabrication, manipulation, advertising, and propaganda, which is based on two dimensions: levels of facticity and deception. (Tandoc 2018).

There is also mentioned the intention of spreading misinformation, but more likely support one specific view which can support the economic interest of the advertisers. Organizations want to increase income and decrease expenses in order to make a profit. This effort leads them to create processes that do the work of the organization more efficient. Thus there is gatekeeping, ways of making decisions, which can shape or adjust our reality (Shoemaker, Reeves, p. 164).

A publication that concentrates on media and the role of information in our world is the famous book Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of Mass Media” by Edward Hermann and Noam Chomsky. This book focuses on the profit of the message, which is conveyed by the media to the audience. They point at the fact that the owners of mass media can prefer spreading information which helps them to increase their profit. They can adjust the reality or maybe even fabricate by just “ignoring” specific information which is not convenient for their intention. They can also support the preferred sort of information with more space in their media. The mainstream media are paid from advertisers, and these are people they want to catch an attraction of the audience. They can use a shield against embarrassing stories or sources which means that they discredit these sources or diverting the conversation. They also use the common strategy with creating a concept of a common enemy (immigrants, terrorist) which increases fear and seeking emotional security in the group of peers. (Hermann, Chomsky 2002)

When we look at these sources, we can also ask if the Lazer’s definition is suitable (Lazer 2018). This definition is wondering about the formal presentation of the news, but it does not speak about purpose or intention why is the “fake news” created. A broader perspective has been adopted by the other authors, who see this point as the most crucial fact in seeking for the credibility of any information (Shoemacher, Reeves 2018) or (Hermann, Chomsky 2002).