Technology is playing a key role in the global challenge what the pandemic caused by COVID-19 means. Societies, using remarkable resilience, embraced digital tools for continuity of their activities and, to the extent possible, achieved positive results in productive, business, educational, social spheres, among others.
In this context of transformation, communication has also been urgent to embrace technology to engage in dialogue, promote the exchange of ideas and disseminate information (journalistic or not) among people, media and organizations of diverse nature. Today the construction of the social story is valid, as it had not happened before, of the use of social media and of the contents published by native media through websites and online platforms. New opportunities, ranging from a broader and more democratic range of channels with journalistic information, even better connectivity between human beings worldwide.
However, the digitization process that our way of communicating with us has also brought with it, perhaps caused by pressure, a series of problems that, in case of neglect, could lead to the formation of a public opinion victim of manipulation and misinformation. The fake news, that find an ally on the Internet for their viralization, as well as the contents and interactions that circulate on social networks without an adequate regulatory system, affect the production and dissemination of verified journalistic messages and verified, in accordance with the ethical and professional codes of this discipline. Of similarly, recent phenomena such as infoxication and infodemic, symbols of these times, are constituted as threats that must be recognized and addressed to counteract its harmful effects and ensure a society where the truth prevails and understanding between people.
Mg. Rafael Robles Olivos
Coordinator of Communication Sciences Research Institute
Faculty of Communication Sciences, Tourism and Psychology - USMP