Fake news e incremento desinformativo en el ecosistema mediático durante el estado de excepción 2020: caso el mercioco

Abstract

Fake news as a study phenomenon within the communication sciences arises from the hand of new media in a constantly changing media ecosystem, where any user becomes a content generator. Behold, these disinformative pieces not only distort the notions of truth and reality, but they can even destabilize societies and their democracies. Social networks are part of this ecosystem of media that allow immediacy and viralization in the spread of false content, many times without giving rise to the verification and contrast of official sources. This research analyzes how and to what extent the media ecosystem favors the creation and proliferation of fake news, taking as a case study the fanpage 'El Mercioco' during the 2020 state of exception in Ecuador. In the theoretical foundation is the disaggregated description of each of the theoretical variables and the bibliographic support of this degree work, through the review of scientific articles indexed in regional databases and of high academic impact. The applied methodology responds to the qualitative approach through interviews with experts on the subject and content analysis where the number of followers of the fanpage, the number of publications in the period between March and June 2020, were taken into account. the type of fake news disseminated on the platform and the reactions of the audience, symbolized by the number of likes, the number of times the post was shared and the comments from the public. As a result, it was possible to determine that the topics most likely to be the focus of false news are those of a political and health nature since precisely during the period of analysis of the studied page, the health crisis due to COVID-19 and cases of corruption occurred. related to medical supplies in public hospitals in the country. Furthermore, it was possible to recognize that most of the fake news is disguised as satire to reach users through a burlesque dye, they use a black humor that portrays the great political, economic, social and human problems, alluding to the issue of corruption and demagogic politics, as well as the devaluation of Ecuadorian society. According to the experts interviewed, the scope of fake news could destabilize a nation-state and cause substantial changes in democratic societies due to its appearance in times of crisis, which leads to a situation of uncertainty, confusion and anguish in the population, as feeling disoriented about what is true and who to believe. The legitimacy of the authorities is then lost and official spokespersons are discredited, giving way to social anarchy. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen the information system and make audiences literate regarding the use of new tools and digital platforms, so that they know how to discern reliable information with digital skills and critical-reflective thinking.