The Rise of News Misinformation in the Digital Era

Abstract

The new internet and digital technologies have truly accelerated and improved media functions and operations in modern society. Like the developed nations, sub-Saharan African countries have benefitted immensely in adopting new media tools to generate, access, disseminate, store, and retrieve information. Since the basic function of the media is to inform the public, digital tools and various internet platforms have exemplified this role by increasing the volume and spread of news information in today's network society. In fact, the current information era is one characterized by the inundated volume of data and flood of information. However, with such incredible overload of information, new problems have emerged; the anonymous nature of most of these internet platforms have permitted highly adulterated and unethical news contents to contaminate the digital space. Sadly, many credible news information compete or get mixed with the whirlpool of disinformation and news pollutants.