Are Hoaxes just another form of manipulation?

Have you ever believed in something just because someone says it? or because you think someone important, credible or respected said it? Hoaxes demonstrate how easily people can be influenced by information that appears credible. I found it interesting that the success of a hoax was not necessarily dependent on how realistic it was. Instead, it often depended more on how well it connected to people's beliefs, emotions and expectations. This connects back to a theme I have noticed throughout class; manipulation. We have seen via phishing, scams, cults, and now, hoaxes how manipulation happens when people's emotions, fear and urgency are taken advantage of. 

I found interesting how hoaxes did not disappear but now we see them in a different light. Today, we see it through social media because it allows for false information to spread faster and reaching more people before anyone can verify it. Especially as we have discussed in class, AI can manipulate images, videos and audios to make something seem different than it is. Just like we discussed after the presentation, can we trust any of the news sources that are on TikTok and social media platforms? Just because something looks real or comes from a seemingly credible source does not necessarily mean it is true.

Hoaxes also show something intriguing about us as humans. Most of the time we think will not recognize deception, manipulation or malice but when our emotions, urgency and fear are targeted then our judgment is blurred and we believe any information. Just like the hoax about Orson Welles's War of the Worlds radio broadcast - the fictional story lead listeners to believe the fake news because it created public panic. I think the most concerning part of a hoax is not the lie itself, but how easily we are convinced that that lie is true.