How new media is changing the course of history

Hey guys! In case you didn’t already know, I’ll be speaking at Social Media Week Lagos on a panel called, Fake News: How New Media is Changing the Course of History. The panel is Monday February 4th at 4pm, at Landmark in Oniru. Fake news has become a huge issue, we’ll be talking about just how pervasive it is in Nigeria and what we can do to fix things. I hope to see you at the panel, so click here to register now! In the meantime, read more about fake news below.

Fake news is a term we hear a lot today, it flies around the headlines, and it’s all over the radio, but most of us cannot conceptualize just how deep it affects us. Even when we do not seek news out news on our own, we often receive it instantly on our phones, particularly through various social media such as WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram. So how do we manage this mountain of information so that fake news does not mislead us?

The problem of fake news is pervasive, especially in developing countries where ethnic tensions can be high and news literacy (the ability to understand what news is genuine) is often low. But make no mistake, fake news is a problem on the world-scale – it has influenced elections in America, caused deaths in multiple countries including Mexico and Ethiopia, and devalued the currency in South Africa.

Previously, our news used to come only from established media houses like Channels, CNN, and BBC. Today, social media platforms have demolished the barriers to entry – anyone, anywhere can say anything and as long as the “news” is presented well, people may believe and share. False information spread on social media has led to many violent deaths in Nigeria. We live in a country where propaganda and rumour mongering thrives, so we need to learn both how to spot and how to stop the spread of false information. Tech companies have realized the large role they play in spreading fake news. Facebook owned WhatsApp is currently running radio ads in Nigeria in order to educate people on how to discern real news from fake.

But we can’t just rely on tech conglomerates to keep us safe and informed. What is the role of the everyday Nigerian in combatting fake news? What is the role of the government, and how do we move forward in a world that has rapidly changed?

Nigeria’s foremost PR agency, Quadrant MSL, will be hosting a panel session at Social Media Week Lagos 2019, to discuss this critical issue. At this panel session, the goal is to bring together experts in news and communication for better understanding of how the media landscape has changed in order to explore ways to lessen the likelihood of its spread, and to mitigate the damage it causes.

Moderated by Quadrant MSL’s Managing Consultant, Uche Ajene, panellists will share their experiences and collaborate to seek solutions to the epidemic of fake news.

The audience will come away with an understanding of:

– How much fake news has impacted the world, Nigeria and Africa as a whole.
– Why developing countries are even more vulnerable to fake news.
– How to discern between fake news and real news.
– What is being done the world over to combat fake news.
– Why your voice and stories matter to combat this.

See the event details below:
Fake News: How New Media is Changing the Course of History

Monday February 4, 2019 4:00pm – 5:00pm
Landmark Event Center

Click here to register!
PANELISTS

Amaechi Okobi
Group Head, Corporate Communications, Access Bank

Kolawole Osinowo
Senior Business Manager, HMD Global

Laila Ijeoma
Blogger, Laila’s Blog

Tolulope Balogun
Head of Presentations, News Central

Tosin Ajibade
Blogger, Olorisupergal

Uche Ajene
Managing Consultant, Quadrant MSL

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