Abstract
Fake news news articles that are intentionally and verifiably false designed to manipulate people's perceptions of reality has been used to influence politics and promote advertising. But it has also become a method to stir up and intensify social conflict. Stories that are untrue and that intentionally mislead readers have caused growing mistrust among American people. In some cases this mistrust results in incivility, protest over imaginary events, or violence. This unravels the fabric of American life, turning neighbor against neighbor. Why would anyone do this? People, organizations, and governmentsforeign governments and even our ownuse fake news for two different reasons. First, they intensify social conflict to undermine peoples faith in the democratic process and peoples ability to work together [1]. Second, they distract people from important issues so that these issues remain unresolved. This section explores how fake news is used for distraction and intensifying conflict.
