The use of modern technology and social media are a common part of today’s society with an estimated 2.95 billion people using social media across the world in 2019 (Clement, 2020).
With more users there is an increase in the number of cases of social media abuse. The term “fake news” has now become a common phrase, partly due to its frequent use by the out-going US president.
Social media is a prolific conduit for the spread of fake news and has been so convincing that it has even infected the mainstream media, such as the now debunked Momo challenge of early 2019 (Moore, 2019). More recently investigations have been launched into links between arson attacks on mobile phone masts and conspiracy theories on social media platforms linking 5G phone networks to the rise of coronavirus.
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