People rarely say anything
positive about fake news. Indeed, barely a day goes
by without some politician or commentator bloviating
about the horrors of fake news. They say fake news
is disrupting our society, or fake news is
destroying relationships, or it’s hard to tell the
difference between fake news and real news anymore.
In the interest of fairness, here’s a short list of
some of the wonderful benefits of fake news.
- Fake news helps people avoid reality. Reality
can be very uncomfortable at times. In fact, many
people have far more reality in their lives than
they want. Fake news provides a means of escape.
- Fake news
confirms biases. Nobody really needs, or wants, to
see things from the perspectives of others. In a
world of chaos and confusion, what people need is
confirmation that they are right about everything.
- With fake
news, if you don’t like hearing opinions you
disagree with, you never have to be exposed to
them. On the other hand, if you enjoy being angry
and hateful, fake news can provide more ammunition
than you’ll ever need. Either way, fake news is
the solution, not the problem.
- Fake News
is more fun than real news. Fake news can bring
laughter and joy into people’s lives. Or it can
bring a sense of self-righteousness and moral
indignation. Who doesn’t enjoy laughing and/or
feeling superior to others once in a while?
