Table of ContentsIntroductionFake NewsFake FollowersConclusionIntroductionA few decades ago, people could only receive information from what we today call traditional media sources , such as newspapers, radios and television. People did and still trust these sources because of the strict regulations they are subject to. However, times have changed and easy access to the Internet has given everyone the opportunity to create, publish and share information and news without any proof or verification needed. Such freedom on online platforms has led us to the phenomenon known as “fake news.” Generally, the term is used to describe false information "intentionally disseminated in the media with the aim of misinforming citizens" or influencing their perception of certain things in order to increase traffic and maximize profits. While fake news is one of the biggest concerns for marketers, they also need to be aware of fake followers, a new trend on social media platforms, which has just as much impact on businesses as fake advertising . Both the mentioned problems, fake news and fake followers, will be discussed in this essay, in order to understand their influence on marketers and what can be done to avoid them. Say no to plagiarism. Get Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get Original EssayFake NewsThe development of various technological devices and the creation of online channels have radically changed people's lives and made it easier to receive, processing and sharing of information. with the others. The shift from traditional to new media was seen as an advantage until the rise of fake news. Many experts consider social media a fertile ground for the spread of fake news because the publishing process is quick and easy. Indeed, a report from Statista (2017) found that nearly half of fake news in the United States was shared via social media, which is quite alarming considering that 67% of Americans receive their news from these platforms (Pew Research Center, 2017). With so many people now receiving news from social media sites, many content creators and publishers have taken advantage by using fake news to drive more traffic and clicks on their ads, which in turn generates more profits ( PPC). But these news can also affect the performance of actual ads in several ways. For example, websites that contain false or inaccurate information often attempt to gain credibility by including promotions of trusted brands on their platforms and placing them among "fabricated content that does not reflect, or even conflicts with, with the values ​​of a company” (Palmquist, 2019). ). This may not seem like a clear problem to many, but it has been observed that in most cases, consumers' associations with the brand are destroyed and they are less likely to support it in the future (Visentin et al., 2019). . Additionally, Google penalizes fake and related sources by placing them lower on the search engine page, which affects the ranking and viewability (SEM) of trusted websites (Digital Marketing Philippines, n.d.) . Finally, fake news can be used as a tool to destroy another brand's reputation and eliminate itscompetitors. According to a study conducted by Twitter, fake news is more likely to be shared than legitimate stories, and it reaches more people in a shorter period of time (The Drum, 2018). Many brands have suffered from the spread of false information, as it is often difficult to trace the original source, but by the time it is found, the brand's reputation is already damaged. One of many brands affected by the spread fake news is New Balance. The brand spokesperson's comments were taken out of context and shared on social media with the headline: "New Balance offers massive support to the Trump revolution." The editors misquoted the spokesperson as saying that Obama had let them down and that with Trump "things are going to move in the right direction," when in fact the quote was referring only to the Trans-Pacific Partnership. This fake message spread like wildfire due to its controversy and bad timing, just before the 2016 US elections. The shared news caused a backlash among anti-Trump groups. In protest, they burned their New Balance shoes and encouraged others to do the same by publishing the process online, which significantly affected the brand's reputation in a negative way.Fake FollowersOn the other hand, popularity Social media usage has created an opportunity for businesses to promote and sell their products directly to their target consumers through people they trust or so-called influencers. Businesses choose accounts that represent their values ​​and, above all, have many followers, because the more followers the accounts have, the more people they can reach. Now, who wouldn’t want to make money just by posting on their social media? This is when people started buying their followers to appear more attractive to businesses. For marketers, collaborating with accounts with a high number of fake followers is risky because it will not lead to the desired result. The number one goal of social media promotions and campaigns is to expand the brand's customer base by attracting people to their page and increasing engagement rates. This cannot be achieved with fake followers, as they are bots and not real people, who can like, leave comments and share posts. Therefore, it is not profitable for companies to cooperate with influencers who have a large number of fake followers, because they will not get anything from it, but will lose the invested money. Additionally, there are bots that can leave likes and comments unrelated to the post. As a result, the company collects inaccurate information and data about its audience, which affects its operations and overall performance. Fake news and followers may seem easy to detect at first, but research by Stanford University has shown that the majority of people cannot tell. the difference between fake news and legitimate ones on the internet. Additionally, more than 30% of participants said the fake source seemed more trustworthy than the real one (Hunt, 2016). Due to these negative results, some media outlets and universities have decided to take matters into their own hands by launching online applications and digital tools that verify the veracity and validity of certain facts and ideas presented in articles. However, these applications are not 100% accurate and reliable and still need improvement. Facebook and Google, on the other hand, have introduced different tools.