WHY WE SHARE FAKE NEWS : COOPERATION BETWEEN ARTISTS AND RESEARCHERS IN PRODUCING THE THEATRE PERFORMANCE “ FAKE NEWS ”

Abstract

First, the article gives the analysis of the cooperation between artists and researchers in producing the theatre performance “Fake News”. Artists of the theatre troupe KVADRIFRONS invited young researchers of the Latvian Academy of Culture (LAC) to do a sociological study of the phenomenon of fake news, its conceptual borders and its characteristics historically and today. The research served as an informative and educational basis for the transformation of the fake news phenomenon into an artistic phenomenon that seeks to problematize the issue of fake news for a broader audience. Secondly, the article presents the findings of this study, revealing why people share fake news. We find this motivation is emotionally based and is associated with emotional attachment, anxiety, comicality, or trust. People fall for fake news and share the messages that they find to be (i) thematically relevant, interesting and exciting for them; (ii) the messages that concern some emergency or crisis situations; (iii) the messages that seem to be absurd and even comical; (iv) the news distributed by a reliable source of information.