On social platforms, some people will influence public opinion by spreading fake news and rumors. The common methods and detailed processes are as follows: ### Fabricating false content 1. **Fictitious events** - Fabricating stories that do not exist at all. For example, fabricating a serious environmental pollution accident in a well-known enterprise, claiming that its wastewater and waste residue were directly discharged without treatment, causing devastating damage to the surrounding ecology, but in fact the enterprise has strict environmental protection measures and regulatory records. - Making up stories that a celebrity is involved in major illegal and criminal incidents, such as drug abuse, tax evasion, etc., but in fact the celebrity has always abided by the law and maintained a good image in the public eye. 2. **Distortion of facts** - Deliberately intercepting some real event clips for splicing or tampering to mislead the public. For example, in a normal business negotiation video, only the part where one party speaks toughly is selected, with malicious subtitles, so that people mistakenly believe that it is a fierce conflict, but in fact the negotiation is conducted within the framework of seeking a cooperative solution. - Interpreting scientific research results out of context. For example, a small sample of data from a preliminary study on a drug for a specific disease is exaggerated to show that the drug has a miraculous effect on all people and has no side effects, when in fact the study is still in its early stages and there are many uncertainties. ### Choose a dissemination platform 1. **Popular social platforms** - tend to be published on platforms with a large user base and rapid information dissemination, such as Weibo, WeChat, and Douyin. These platforms have a large number of active users, and once a piece of information is published, it is easy to gain a lot of exposure in a short period of time. For example, after a piece of fake news is published on Weibo, it may be quickly pushed to the homepages of many users through mechanisms such as hot topics and hot search lists, attracting a large number of users to click and read. 2. **Related topic sections** - published in topic sections where specific audience groups are located. For example, spread fake news about a so-called "magic health secret recipe" in some health and wellness topic communities. Users in such communities pay high attention to health topics and are easily credulous and spread such information. Spread rumors about the impending bankruptcy of a well-known car brand in a car enthusiast forum, and use the forum users' attention to the dynamics of the automotive industry to trigger their discussion and further dissemination. ### Utilize the characteristics of communication 1. **Create sensational headlines** - Use exaggerated and shocking language to attract attention. Such as "Shocking! A devastating earthquake is about to happen in a well-known city" and "Horror! This common food is actually the culprit of cancer". Such headlines will arouse the curiosity and panic of the public, driving them to click to read the content, even if the content is an unfounded rumor. 2. **Rely on emotional resonance** - Utilize the emotional weaknesses of the public to spread. For example, make up some false stories about the tragic experiences of vulnerable groups to arouse the public's sympathy and sense of justice, prompting them to forward spontaneously. For example, a child in a poor mountainous area cannot attend class because there is no online teaching equipment. In fact, the local school has complete online teaching facilities and the children can receive normal education. By arousing people's attention and sympathy for the education problems of poor children, the rumor can be spread rapidly. - Use national sentiments, patriotism, etc. to incite. For example, fabricating fake news that foreign countries maliciously discredit China's anti-epidemic achievements, saying that certain international forces deliberately spread rumors that China's epidemic data was falsified, etc., to stimulate the public's patriotic sentiment, so that the public quickly spread such false information in anger, trying to "rectify the name" of the country, but ignoring the authenticity of the information. 3. **Use group psychology** - Create an atmosphere of "everyone is spreading". By arranging some small accounts or water armies to post rumors on social platforms, accompanied by a large number of likes and comments, giving people the illusion that this is a hot topic and many people are paying attention to and believing it. For example, first post a piece of fake news in a social group, and then ask several members to reply "Really? It's terrible" "I heard about it too", etc., to induce other uninformed members in the group to believe and spread it. - Take advantage of the herd mentality, especially in the discussion of some hot events. For example, when a celebrity scandal triggers a lot of discussion, mix in some other negative fake news about the celebrity, so that the public will accept and spread these rumors without thinking while paying attention to the hot spots, thinking that since everyone is discussing this celebrity, these related negative news may also be true. ### Trigger secondary dissemination 1. **Encourage interaction** - Set some guiding questions when publishing fake news and rumors to encourage the public to participate in discussions. For example, ask questions like "How do you think this will develop?" "Are there similar situations around you?", etc., to stimulate the public's desire to express themselves and let them further spread rumors in their replies and discussions. At the same time, respond selectively to the public's replies to strengthen the spread of rumors. If someone questions the rumor, respond with some vague words or change the subject; if someone believes and supports the rumor, give affirmation and encouragement to encourage them to spread it to others more actively. 2. **Use