Fake news

Origins, connotations (and decline?) of a successful expression

Authors

  • Nicola Strizzolo Università degli Studi di Teramo
  • Claudio Melchior Università di Udine

Keywords:

Fake News; Content Analysis; Media; Newspaper; Connotations

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to analyse the evolution and the connotations of the expression "fake news" from its inception to its current use. We investigated the origin, the quantitative trajectory of use (assuming that its prominence peaked in the years immediately following 2016, with a subsequent decline) and the logical domains of meaning associated with (assuming the initial predominant association with the "Net world" and the specific political events of 2016, followed by a gradual broadening to the logical domains of journalism and socio-political conflict in general).

In order to achieve these objectives, we conducted a content analysis on prominent media outlets between 2016 and 2022. Our dataset comprising 30,035 articles allowed us to trace the term's usage trends. Furthermore, we employed subcorpus sampling and computer-assisted qualitative techniques to assess the evolving connotations and logical associations of the expression.

Our findings substantiate the hypothesis that the mature usage of "fake news" emerged actually in November 2016. Usage surged until its peak in 2018, expanding into broader realms, particularly politics and offline media. Even during the supposed decline (hypothesis not verified because, between 2021 and 2022 we trace an increase), "fake news" remained pervasive, with references to journalism surpassing those related to the online world. All of this coupled with the presence of a continuous "background noise" of oppositional and emotionally charged connotations.

Initially designed to criticize online information, "fake news" has morphed into a stigmatizing and generic label utilized in political and social discourse to discredit opponents. This negative connotation erodes trust in media and institutions and intensifies divisive rhetoric, hindering open and democratic debate in our increasingly complex social systems.

Author Biographies

Nicola Strizzolo, Università degli Studi di Teramo

Claudio Melchior, PhD, is Associate Professor in Sociology of Cultural and Communicative Processes at the University of Udine. His most recent publications include Use of digital resources in the Italian disability community: An exploratory study (with F. Trevisan, Monash University Press, Melbourne, 2023) and Elderly People and the Barriers to Digital Education, Italian Journal of Sociology of Education (2023). In 2022, he collaborated with Nicola Strizzolo to edit the monographic volume of the journal Salute e Società entitled Anziani e Industria 4.0 (Franco Angeli, Milano).

Claudio Melchior, Università di Udine

Nicola Strizzolo is an Associate Professor of Sociology of Cultural and Communicative Processes at the University of Teramo. His publications include: Relazioni pubbliche: pars comunicans della Sociologia Pubblica? (with D. Bennato), Cambio. Rivista Sulle Trasformazioni Sociali (2024); La comunicazione eclettica (with A. Pocecco and C. Melchior, Franco Angeli, Milano 2020); Narcisismo 2.0? Tra cultura, comunicazione e web society (Gutenberg, Fisciano 2020). He is the Scientific Coordinator of the Sociology and History Section of the Franco Angeli series Laboratorio Sociologico.

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Published

2024-08-03

How to Cite

Strizzolo, N., & Melchior, C. (2024). Fake news: Origins, connotations (and decline?) of a successful expression. Mediascapes Journal, 23(1), 67–83. Retrieved from https://rosa.uniroma1.it/rosa03/mediascapes/article/view/18490

Issue

Vol. 23 No. 1 (2024): Miscellanea: Percorsi Cross-Piattaforma

Section

Articles

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