False news has become a staple in the modern media business because it is more profitable than reliable news. Often times fake news is eye-catching and outlandish which draws many people to it just based on each headline.  Additionally, Media outlets are starting to use false media to alter truth rather than make something up from scratch,  this causes false news to become more believable. False news is beginning to pose a threat to our democracy as consumers change their actions, beliefs, and social media posts to align with the skewed views of fake articles. This project is meant to bring to light the dark financial secrets of media companies and show people that news is a business with a strong profit motive.

    The media lightbox will be viewed by many people who simply walk by the box that is attached to a street sign or post.   The media box is a rectangular prism with eye slits and a false news headline on the front that when looked in, The viewer is presented with something discrediting that headline. After they step back there is a projection of statistics of the economic benefits.  People who stop to look through the eye holes will be presented with information that will bring the dark side of media to the light. When enough people realize that fake news is generated for economic profit, they will be more careful about spreading it, those who generate it will profit less, and its prevalence will wane.  

With the spread of the phenomenon of fake news, and with undemocratic leaders taking advantage of the phenomenon to label true news as fake, everyone is forced to think about whether what they read is from a reliable source and is accurate. Because it can be hard to determine the reliability of an article, many people believe and spread false information, and in the process bring great economic benefits to the those responsible for the fake articles. Also, individuals who have believed and spread "fake news" have created tremendous political and social tension, tearing those with opposite political views further away. With the recently made False Media Exposer product "The Media Lightbox," viewers will come to understand who is benefiting from the spread of fake news and will be more cautious before reading and passing along an article from an unknown source.

This product will highlight some of the many false news headlines along with statistics about the income they bring to the media companies that perpetuate them. At the front of the artifact, the viewer will see a false media headline in which a great number of people believed and spread throughout social media platforms. Then, the user will look into the lightbox through a slit and will see the true headline at the back of the box, resulting in the viewer realizing the likeliness of believing false media. When the user looks below the box, they will see a statistic created by a light fixture that is supported at the top of the box, influencing the user to come to the realization that false media is prospering internationally due to many people believing its information. The hope is that the artifact will reach enough individuals who read and believe false media to the point where they will become more cautious in their approach to reading these articles. And without people contributing to the economic success of false media, the news will become more reliable again because it will no longer be profitable to alter information.