IndexIntroductionFake newsFake followersConclusionIntroductionA few decades ago people could only get news from what we now call traditional media sources, such as newspapers, radio and television. These sources were and still are trusted by people due to the strict regulations they are subjected to. However, times have changed and easy access to the Internet has provided everyone with the opportunity to create, publish and share information and news without having any proof or verification needed. Such freedom on online platforms has led to the phenomenon known as “fake news.” Generally, the term is used to describe false information that is “intentionally spread through the mass media with the aim of misinforming citizens” or influencing their perception of certain things to increase traffic and maximize profits. While fake news is a major concern for marketers, they should also be aware of fake followers, a new trend on social media platforms, which has the same impact on businesses as false advertising. Both the mentioned problems, fake news and fake followers, will be discussed in this essay, in order to understand their influence on marketers and what can be done to avoid them. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayFake NewsThe development of various technological devices and the creation of online channels have dramatically changed people's lives and made it easier to receive, process, and share information with others. The transition from traditional media to new media was seen as an advantage until the advent of fake news. Many experts consider social media to be fertile ground for the spread of fake news, as the publication process is simple and fast. In fact, a report from Statista (2017) found that nearly half of fake news in the United States was shared through social media, which is quite alarming considering that 67% of Americans get their news from those platforms (Pew Research Center, 2017). With so many people now getting their news from social media sites, many content creators and publishers have taken advantage of this by using fake news to get more traffic and clicks on their ads, which translates into more profits (PPC). But this news can also influence the performance of real advertisements in several ways. For example, websites that contain false or inaccurate information often try to gain credibility by including promotions of reputable brands on their platforms and placing them among “manufactured content that does not reflect, or even conflicts with, a company's values” ( Palmquist, 2019). ). This may not seem like a clear issue to many, but it has been observed that in most such cases, consumers' association with the brand is destroyed and they are less likely to endorse it in the future (Visentin et al., 2019). . Additionally, Google penalizes fake sources and those linked to them by placing them lower on the search engine page, which affects the ranking and visibility (SEM) of trustworthy websites (Digital Marketing Philippines, n.d.). Finally, fake news can be used as a tool to destroy another brand's reputation and eliminate competitors. According to research conducted by Twitter, fake news is more likely to be shared than legitimate news and reaches more people in a shorter period of time (The Drum, 2018). Many brands have suffered from the spread offalse information, because it is often difficult to trace the original source, but by the time it is found, the brand's reputation is already compromised. One of the many brands affected by the spread of false news is New Balance. The brand spokesperson's words were taken out of context and shared on social media with the title: "New Balance offers total approval of the Trump revolution." The editors misquoted the spokesperson's words that Obama has disappointed them and with Trump “things will move in the right direction,” when in fact the quote referred only to the Trans-Pacific Partnership. This false message spread like wildfire due to controversy and bad timing, which occurred just before the 2016 US elections. The shared news caused a backlash among anti-Trump groups. In protest they burned their New Balance shoes and encouraged others to do the same by posting the process online, which greatly affected the brand's reputation in a negative way. Fake followers On the other hand, the popularity of social media the usage has created an opportunity for companies to promote and sell their products directly to target consumers through people they trust or through so-called influencers. Companies choose accounts that represent their values ​​and, above all, have many followers, because the more followers the accounts have, the more people they can reach. Now, who wouldn't want to earn money simply by posting on their social media? This is when people started buying their followers to make themselves look more attractive to companies. For marketers, collaborating with accounts with a large number of fake followers is risky, as it will not lead to the desired result. The main goal of social media promotions and campaigns is to grow the brand's customer base by attracting people to their page and increasing engagement rates. This cannot be achieved with fake followers, since these are bots and not real people, who can like, leave comments and share posts. Therefore, it is not beneficial for companies to partner with influencers who have large amounts of fake followers as they will not get anything from it, but will instead lose the money invested. Additionally, there are bots that can leave likes and comments unrelated to the post. As a result, the company collects inaccurate information and data about its audience, which affects its overall operations and performance. At first glance, fake news and followers might seem easy to spot, but research conducted by Stanford University has shown that most people can't tell. the difference between fake and legitimate news on the Internet. Furthermore, over 30% of participants claimed that the fake source seemed more trustworthy than the real one (Hunt, 2016). Because of these negative findings, some news organizations and universities have decided to take matters into their own hands by launching online apps and digital tools that verify the truth and validity of particular facts and ideas presented in articles. However, these apps are not 100% accurate and reliable and still need to be improved. Facebook and Google, on the other hand, have introduced various tools to protect their users from fraud and fake news. Facebook spreads tips that can help users identify misleading information. It also added an option that allows users to report posts that they think may be fake, which are then evaluated by third-party checkers for credibility. If the story turns out to be false, it will be labeled as false and placed at the bottom of users' feeds. While Facebook mainly uses.