The writer is a 17-year-old Indian-American, currently studying at Bombay International School.
I sat down at the table for breakfast a few days ago, with a bowl of fruit and granola, and began flipping through the newspaper. My eyes nearly leaped out of their sockets when I read the headline, "Peacocks Don't Have Sex" Says Rajasthan High Court Judge Mahesh Chand Sharma. I sarcastically thought to myself, 'How else do peacocks reproduce? Binary fission?' I read the rest of the article, said a silent prayer for the Indian justice system, and headed off to school.
Later in the day, I was scrolling through my social media feed, only to see hyperlinked articles headlined Peacocks Are Celibate Birds and Peacocks Don't Sexually Reproduce. These headlines were misleading and sensationalised, which I perceive as a major issue in today's Formula One racecar-paced society. We all crave quality and quantity, striving to imbibe mammoth volumes of relevant information barreling toward us from the time we roll out of bed and switch on our phones, until we pass out with our phones tightly clutched in our hands, eyes aflame from the intense screen exposure throughout our day.
The proliferation of fake news has become a rampant epidemic in our world. We have seen it affect the French election, with conspiracy theories emerging that Emmanuel Macron's campaign was funded by Saudi Arabia. We have witnessed the Breitbartization of the American media, with right-wing and fringe propaganda being promoted as mainstream (Say what? Birth Control Makes Women Unattractive And Crazy?). Not to mention, a particular media outlet Donald Trump LOVES (hint: it rhymes with socks) masterfully fabricating farcical conspiracies, reflects how prevalent the danger of fake news has become.
Misleading and fake news consequentially affects teenagers, who spend on average, nine hours a day on the Internet. We live in a time where credible, truthful news has never been more important. Attention spans have never been more fleeting - fake news, illegitimate propaganda and deceptive taglines can have a serious impact on young, impressionable minds that are overexposed to a barrage of information. If I had not understood the context of the headlines I saw on my social media feed, perhaps I would have blindly believed that an astute samaritan by the name of Mahesh Chand Sharma had made a riveting discovery about peacock reproduction. I could have even made a mention of this fascinating factual revelation in my biology board exam that recently took place!
We need to be more vigilant and unaccepting of fake news, which means steering clear from the sensationalised hogwash being stuffed down our throats. A particular repackaged media outlet comes to mind as I type this, I can't recall the name though. Is it The District? The Democracy? I can't recall! Anyway, you know what I'm talking about…
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