The media is powerful; it sways elections and shapes the way society works. People expect their news sources to be responsible and truthful, but as it was in the election, this is not always the case. The invention of the internet  intensified the reach of news, it leaked into social media and even onto home screens of iPhones.

The great power social media holds comes with the utmost responsibility to provide accurate news. In recent months the legitimacy of news has come into question, and things that once would be easily regarded as false now gain traction and popularity through social media platforms which leads to a sense of legitimacy. In real life, a crazed preacher on the street can spout his claim that the apocalypse is coming, but no one around him will give it a second thought. But, when a fake news story gains millions of shares on social media, people do not question the story’s authenticity because if a million other people are sharing it, it’s probably true. Take for example a story that came out in 2016 from a website named  abcnews.com.co (Not even the real ABC news.) which was titled, “Obama signs a nationwide order banning The Pledge of Allegiance in Schools.”  According to Business Insider The story broke a two million  combination number of shares, likes, and comments.