Mal Fletcher comments on the rise in phoney news and analyses the potential future implications.

Mal Fletcher

For all of our current challenges with fake news, the truth is that we've probably seen nothing yet.

The rise in phoney news - and satirical material mistaken for news - may have a very damaging impact upon our collective consciousness. That is, if we don't get very serious about tackling the problem now.

By "we", I mean both professional news-gatherers and, perhaps more importantly, the news-imbibing public.

The false narrative phenomenon is driven by unscrupulous companies that want to drive up their ad income on the web. It is supported by trolls who want to besmirch someone's reputation and by unofficial political operatives who want to gain an advantage for their candidate.

Most recently, of course, the fake news arena has become the playground of foreign governments that seek to influence or interfere with domestic politics.

Four high-impact, near-future, developments will be impacted by the decisions we make now about fake news.

Techno-Refuseniks

It is axiomatic in futurism that for every primary shift in technology - and its cultural impact - there will be a corresponding counter-shift. The synthesis between the shift and counter-shift produces a new status quo, determining much about how our future will look.

We are rapidly approaching the so-called Smart Age. Quite soon, Cloud-connected gadgets within the Internet of Things will automate our homes and may well drive everything from cars to entire factories.

Two counter-shifts to the Smart Age are almost certain to occur, in varying degrees. These and the new status quo they produce will be affected by our decisions about fake news.

One counter-shift to the Smart Revolution will be the emergence of a new breed of techno-refuseniks.

Our research at 2020Plus suggests that the generation following the now ubiquitous Millennials will be one marked by a proclivity to see rebellion as a means of reform. We call this cohort Generation Edge, because it stands on the threshold of some of the most profound changes in technology and perhaps ethics that the modern world has seen.

Edgers, now aged between five and 18 in the UK, will see the digital space as their primary avenue for reforming institutions and authoritarian organisations, both of which they almost implicitly mistrust.

Despite their familiarity with all things digital, however, Generation Edgers will resist any attempts to define them simply by their online presence.