The Psychology Of Misinformation And Fake News

In the digital era, the rapid spread of misinformation and fake news poses a profound challenge, shaping political attitudes, social behaviors, and democratic processes. Understanding the psychology of misinformation reveals critical mechanisms driving individual and collective susceptibility to falsehoods. Cognitive biases, such as the illusory truth effect—where repeated exposure to false information increases its perceived credibility—play a pivotal role, as do emotional triggers like fear or anger, which impair rational evaluation and foster... Certain groups are more vulnerable due to factors like lower media literacy, ideological rigidity, or heightened emotional sensitivity to specific narratives. This susceptibility not only facilitates the viral spread of misinformation but also erodes public trust in institutions and fosters polarization. The consequences are far-reaching, weakening civic discourse and undermining political engagement by creating fragmented realities.

This analysis underscores the need for targeted interventions. Addressing these psychological underpinnings requires comprehensive strategies, such as debunking falsehoods with fact-based counter-narratives, promoting critical thinking skills through education, and leveraging algorithmic adjustments to reduce the visibility of manipulative content. By addressing these psychological drivers, society can better combat the insidious effects of misinformation on democratic systems and social cohesion. Misinformation refers to false or misleading information that is spread, regardless of intent, while fake news is typically defined as deliberately fabricated information intended to deceive readers (Wardle & Derakhshan, 2017). Both phenomena have gained prominence with the rise of social media, where the rapid dissemination of content, regardless of its veracity, can have significant consequences for public opinion and behavior. The virality of fake news on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp has led to a scenario where unverified claims often reach millions before being debunked, sometimes too late to counteract the damage (Vosoughi,...

The human brain is wired to rely on heuristics and cognitive shortcuts to process the overwhelming amount of information encountered daily. These shortcuts, while useful for efficiency, also make individuals vulnerable to cognitive biases that increase susceptibility to misinformation. One of the most prominent biases contributing to the spread of misinformation is confirmation bias, which refers to the tendency of individuals to favor information that aligns with their pre-existing beliefs or attitudes (Nickerson,... This bias can cause people to dismiss credible sources that contradict their views while readily accepting less reliable information that supports their worldview. Confirmation bias also exacerbates the problem of echo chambers on social media, where users are exposed primarily to opinions and news that reinforce their beliefs, further entrenching misinformation (Del Vicario et al., 2016). Breadcrumbs Section.

Click here to navigate to respective pages. DOI link for The Psychology of Fake News This volume examines the phenomenon of fake news by bringing together leading experts from different fields within psychology and related areas, and explores what has become a prominent feature of public discourse since the... Dealing with misinformation is important in many areas of daily life, including politics, the marketplace, health communication, journalism, education, and science. In a general climate where facts and misinformation blur, and are intentionally blurred, this book asks what determines whether people accept and share (mis)information, and what can be done to counter misinformation? All three of these aspects need to be understood in the context of online social networks, which have fundamentally changed the way information is produced, consumed, and transmitted.

The contributions within this volume summarize the most up-to-date empirical findings, theories, and applications and discuss cutting-edge ideas and future directions of interventions to counter fake news. Also providing guidance on how to handle misinformation in an age of “alternative facts”, this is a fascinating and vital reading for students and academics in psychology, communication, and political science and for professionals... We synthesize a burgeoning literature investigating why people believe and share false or highly misleading news online. Contrary to a common narrative whereby politics drives susceptibility to fake news, people are 'better' at discerning truth from falsehood (despite greater overall belief) when evaluating politically concordant news. Instead, poor truth discernment is associated with lack of careful reasoning and relevant knowledge, and the use of heuristics such as familiarity. Furthermore, there is a substantial disconnect between what people believe and what they share on social media.

This dissociation is largely driven by inattention, more so than by purposeful sharing of misinformation. Thus, interventions can successfully nudge social media users to focus more on accuracy. Crowdsourced veracity ratings can also be leveraged to improve social media ranking algorithms. Keywords: attention; crowdsourcing; dual process theory; fake news; information sharing; misinformation; motivated reasoning; news media; social media. Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd..

All rights reserved. In an era where information is at our fingertips, distinguishing between fact and fiction has become increasingly challenging. The psychology of misinformation plays a crucial role in understanding why fake news spreads and why people believe it. Despite access to credible sources, misinformation thrives due to cognitive biases, emotional triggers, and social reinforcement. Misinformation isn’t just a digital-age issue; it has been used throughout history to influence public opinion. However, today’s technology amplifies its spread, making it more difficult to counter.

So why do people fall for fake news, and what can we do about it? One of the most significant reasons people believe fake news is confirmation bias—the tendency to seek out and trust information that aligns with existing beliefs. When faced with conflicting information, we naturally favor sources that reinforce our worldview, often disregarding facts that challenge our perspective. For instance, in political debates, individuals are more likely to accept misinformation that supports their preferred candidate, even when credible sources debunk the claims. Social media algorithms reinforce this bias by curating content based on past interactions, trapping users in echo chambers. Another powerful cognitive bias at play is the illusory truth effect.

When we see the same piece of information multiple times, our brains start accepting it as truth, even if it’s false. This is why repeated exposure to fake news on social media platforms makes people more likely to believe it. Nature Reviews Psychology volume 1, pages 13–29 (2022)Cite this article Misinformation has been identified as a major contributor to various contentious contemporary events ranging from elections and referenda to the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only can belief in misinformation lead to poor judgements and decision-making, it also exerts a lingering influence on people’s reasoning after it has been corrected — an effect known as the continued influence... In this Review, we describe the cognitive, social and affective factors that lead people to form or endorse misinformed views, and the psychological barriers to knowledge revision after misinformation has been corrected, including theories...

We discuss the effectiveness of both pre-emptive (‘prebunking’) and reactive (‘debunking’) interventions to reduce the effects of misinformation, as well as implications for information consumers and practitioners in various areas including journalism, public health,... This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution Receive 12 digital issues and online access to articles Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout Over the past several years, misinformation—particularly political misinformation—has been running rampant on social media. Misinformation and disinformation are not the same.

Misinformation is merely having the facts wrong. Disinformation is false information used to deliberately mislead—think skewed reporting, half-truths, propaganda, or conspiracy theories. Both have become a real problem and, with another presidential election in a couple of months, the situation is more concerning than ever. But what’s the psychology behind it? Why do people believe these inaccuracies, seemingly without a shred of skepticism? In a 2021 research article, “The Psychology of Fake News,” co-authors David Rand, Ph.D., and Gordon Pennycook, Ph.D., said political partisanship is not to blame for the belief in fake news.

“Rather than being bamboozled by partisanship, people often fail to discern truth from fiction because they fail to stop and reflect about the accuracy of what they see on social media.”

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