Why Fakes Are More Than Just False News. Fakes are no
longer just crude falsehoods circulating in the digital space.
They have evolved into complex tools of manipulation,
subtle, emotionally charged, and ideologically loaded. Their
forms are diverse: fake news, deepfakes, manipulated
studies, fake profiles, political propaganda, distorted
statistics, or artificially generated opinions by bots. Despite
their differences, they all share a common goal: to sow
confusion, undermine trust, and influence power structures.
In a world where information circulates globally, the
distinction between knowledge and understanding has
become a matter of survival. Knowledge alone is not
enough, it must be contextualized, reflected upon, and
questioned. Understanding means recognizing connections,
uncovering motives, and interpreting narratives. Anyone
who reduces fakes to simple factual errors underestimates
their true impact. They do not merely operate at the level of
information, but infiltrate deep into emotional and societal
frameworks.
