People S Understanding Of The Concept Of Misinformation Aston

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Dec 5, 2025, 4:40 PM

people s understanding of the concept of misinformation aston

Magda Osman, Zoe Adams, Björn Meder, Christos Bechlivanidis, Omar Verduga, Colin Strong Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review T1 - People’s understanding of the concept of misinformation N2 - In the main, work has focused on defining and conceptualising the term misinformation, why and how people share misinformation, as well as the consequences for individual behaviour and policy making. Misinformation is an especially live issue in the context of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, and the communication that people use to inform their interpretations of risks, and claims about what is needed to reduce exposure...

However, we know very little about what the public take the concept of misinformation to mean. Therefore, here and for other matters of public interest, it is worth understanding what informs the way people report what misinformation means to them. To address this, we present findings from a large scale representative survey (N = 4,407) from four countries (Russia, Turkey, UK, USA) to investigate the various ways in which people understand the concept of... Intentionality appears to matter, where most agreement was for the general description of misinformation as ‘Information that is intentionally designed to mislead’ (69.00%). Relative to other sources (e.g. media, other people), experts (48.38%) and scientific evidence (60.20%) were the most common sources by which to determine that something is misinformation.

Finally, looking at specific features of information, misinformation was most associated with information that exaggerated conclusions from facts (49.24%), didn’t provide a complete picture (48.83%), and was presented as fact rather than opinion or... In general, country and demographic factors (age, gender, education, marital status, employment status) did not appear to distinguish these patterns of responses. This work helps to reveal what people report they take the concept of misinformation to mean, which may inform ways of targeting it. Zoe Adams, Magda Osman, Christos Bechlivanidis, Björn Meder Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

N2 - In the last decade there has been a proliferation of research on misinformation. One important aspect of this work that receives less attention than it should is exactly why misinformation is a problem. To adequately address this question, we must first look to its speculated causes and effects. We examined different disciplines (computer science, economics, history, information science, journalism, law, media, politics, philosophy, psychology, sociology) that investigate misinformation. The consensus view points to advancements in information technology (e.g., the Internet, social media) as a main cause of the proliferation and increasing impact of misinformation, with a variety of illustrations of the effects. We critically analyzed both issues.

As to the effects, misbehaviors are not yet reliably demonstrated empirically to be the outcome of misinformation; correlation as causation may have a hand in that perception. As to the cause, advancements in information technologies enable, as well as reveal, multitudes of interactions that represent significant deviations from ground truths through people’s new way of knowing (intersubjectivity). This, we argue, is illusionary when understood in light of historical epistemology. Both doubts we raise are used to consider the cost to established norms of liberal democracy that come from efforts to target the problem of misinformation. AB - In the last decade there has been a proliferation of research on misinformation. One important aspect of this work that receives less attention than it should is exactly why misinformation is a problem.

To adequately address this question, we must first look to its speculated causes and effects. We examined different disciplines (computer science, economics, history, information science, journalism, law, media, politics, philosophy, psychology, sociology) that investigate misinformation. The consensus view points to advancements in information technology (e.g., the Internet, social media) as a main cause of the proliferation and increasing impact of misinformation, with a variety of illustrations of the effects. We critically analyzed both issues. As to the effects, misbehaviors are not yet reliably demonstrated empirically to be the outcome of misinformation; correlation as causation may have a hand in that perception. As to the cause, advancements in information technologies enable, as well as reveal, multitudes of interactions that represent significant deviations from ground truths through people’s new way of knowing (intersubjectivity).

This, we argue, is illusionary when understood in light of historical epistemology. Both doubts we raise are used to consider the cost to established norms of liberal democracy that come from efforts to target the problem of misinformation. Partisanship’s effect on misinformation • The online information landscape First it was Brexit. Then the 2016 U.S. presidential election, followed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mubashir Sultan watched this historic trifecta unravel, shocked by the divisiveness and information silos that characterized each event. Sultan was in graduate school at the time, and he found his research interests being sculpted by the world events surrounding him—first while pursuing two master’s degrees in cultural psychology and in brain and... And Sultan wasn’t alone. “There has been a huge public, but also scholarly, concern regarding misinformation,” Sultan said. “If you look at the graph of the amount of papers being published on misinformation, it’s so steep starting from around 2016.” With so much research happening all at once, Sultan and his colleagues saw a need to take a comprehensive look at the studies that have been conducted on misinformation, especially on veracity judgements—research that...

They did just that in a paper currently in press in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

People S Understanding Of The Concept Of Misinformation Aston

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Magda Osman, Zoe Adams, Björn Meder, Christos Bechlivanidis, Omar Verduga,

However, We Know Very Little About What The Public Take

Finally, Looking At Specific Features Of Information, Misinformation Was Most

N2 - In The Last Decade There Has Been A

As To The Effects, Misbehaviors Are Not Yet Reliably Demonstrated