In the digital age, we have more information than ever before, information that is generated at an unprecedented speed. Globally, 6,000 tweets, 740,000 WhatsApp messages and 694 Instagram posts are published every second. However, our exposure to manipulation increases in parallel. Every day we are confronted with news and disinformation strategies that test our ability to distinguish what is true and what is false. Although we are dealing with a complex phenomenon with centuries of history, the Internet and mass dissemination channels have taken the impact of this phenomenon to an unprecedented level.

Capable of shaping public opinion, disrupting social cohesion and destabilising democratic mechanisms, misinformation raises the pressing need for media literacy. What are they really and how do they spread? What tools do we have to make them? How can we detect and combat them? Through historical pieces, works by contemporary artists and real case studies, Fake News. The factory of lies invites us to understand the complexity of the phenomenon in order to identify different types of disinformation, learn to recognise them and combat their spread.

The exhibition begins with an introduction to the world of fake news – what it is, how it is generated and how it is transmitted – and our brain’s predisposition to accept it easily. Through a journey through history, from Antiquity to the present day, the exhibition covers the great lies of the different periods – which run parallel to the great scientific and technological advances – exploring how the media have contributed to their propagation and viralisation, for which the Internet, social networks and the recent irruption of artificial intelligence have played a decisive role. The exhibition culminates with a Decalogue that orients and guides us in the fight against disinformation, one of the main challenges of the 21st century, according to the World Economic Forum and the latest report by Reporters Without Borders in 2023.

The exhibition, curated by the journalist Mario Tascón and with the collaboration of the Biblioteca Nacional de España, the Universidad San Pablo-CEU and Fundación Maldita.es, features around 120 pieces by more than ten creators, including the collectives Domestic Data Streamers, Tactical Tech and The Yes Men, together with big names such as Joan Fontcuberta, Jonas Bendiksen and Hao Li. Fake News. The factory of lies can be seen on the 3rd floor of the Telefónica Foundation Space free of charge until 19 November 2023.

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