Fake News, Public Opinion, and the Political Use Of Online Social Media

The current media environment places new challenges for scholars as central political players use online social media platforms extensively, blame legacy media for spreading "fake news", and at the same time spread their own versions of truth. This paper argues that this growing phenomenon calls for a reevaluation of our understanding of media influences, the framing and reframing of public opinion, and the so-called "active media consumer." Furthermore, the somewhat neglected old "Hypodermic Needle" theory needs to be reconsidered under these new circumstances, many decades after it has been replaced with some opposing approaches to media influence.

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