Fake news and its impact on genuine content

Post-truth. Alternative facts. Call it what you will. Fake news and questionable content is rapidly becoming a regular (and potentially dangerous) feature of the news and information we get from the Internet.

Bill Maher, political comedian and Real Time host famously said that the Internet killed the truth. “The problem is that somewhere along the line the information superhighway became Bullshit Boulevard”.

Like many people in Indonesia and around the world, the way I get my information has changed. And dramatically so.

Back in the day, the only real source of news and information was from traditional media. News that was carefully researched and written based on solid facts. I still read the papers and watch TV. But more and more of the content I get these days is coming from social media platforms. The problem is, it’s getting to be a waste of precious time trying to sort out what is real and what is not.

A  recent article here here talks the misinformation ecosystem and gives a pretty good account of the various types of fake content, the motivations behind the content and how it's being spread.

As a professional communicator, the rise of fake content keeps me awake at night. For a simple reason. It is raising suspicion and skepticism about the value of genuine content. It’s eroding the credibility and reputations that bona fide brands work hard to build and maintain. So much so that today, it is not a question of “How can our content be more valuable and engaging?” but “Will the people who read this believe us?”

For brands, whose reputations rise and fall according to consumer conversations, it is even more important today to build trust and legitimacy with their stakeholders. It’s a sad truth but most brands take a single approach when it comes to content development and make it worse by not focusing the content on the audiences who really matter. From here, we see a slow but sure downward spiral in brand credibility and relevance as more and more consumers ask: How relevant is this to me? Why am I even seeing this? Or even worse .. Is this true?

With the amount of questionable content being circulated, it will likely lead to even more skepticism and little trust for genuine content.

Make no mistake about it: sustained business success has always been built on trust. Unfortunately, losing trust is much easier than building it.

So what do brands need to do in this era of low-quality and fake content?

For a start, companies need to stay committed to providing value in the way they engage with customers. They need to step up to the plate and really earn their place as the go-to source of valuable, insightful and useful content. They will have to take content creation to a new level by truly knowing their customers, what makes them tick and what they see as being valuable. This means becoming recognized, trusted sources of authentic experiences and insights that are meaningful and valuable.

If this is done, consumers will eventually be reassured in the knowledge that their favourite brands have done their part to look after their needs by creating and sharing only the most engaging content.

And that makes the fight against fake content all the more worthwhile.