Supply and Demand of Fake News: Review and Implications for Business Research

Abstract

‘Fake news’ aims to shake society’s understanding of what the truth is and cast doubts on whether the truth even matters, threatening to erode democracy and destroy the fabric of society and business. This paper investigates this phenomenon and positions it in the broader business research context by reviewing the fake news literature from a variety of disciplines; proposing suggestions for future business research on the supply and demand of fake news; and raising the awareness of what fake news is, how dangerous it can be, how easily it can go viral, and how it can be curtailed or managed.