Fake news is false or misleading information that is passed off as real news. As a rule, fake news is divided into two categories: 1. Deliberately false information – the author who publishes the material knows that it contains false information. The purpose of such actions may be to manipulate public opinion or increase traffic to a particular website. 2. Generally inaccurate information, but containing reliable data. In this case, the author may not have verified all the facts or exaggerated some aspects in order to emphasize a specific point of view...

Speaking at the simplest level, viral information is articles, videos and posts on social networks that are completely untrue, i.e. are deceitful. These materials are aimed at people on the Internet who share similar interests, in the hope that they will be reposted. And since people rarely check the sources or the facts behind these articles, they can quickly spread like a virus. Fake news can misshape people's perceptions and attitudes about something, creating suspicion, mistrust, and causing them to reject factual truths...