University of Kwazulu-Natal

Why Misinformation Must Not Be Ignored The Uwa Profiles And Research

Bonisiwe Shabane
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why misinformation must not be ignored the uwa profiles and research

Ullrich K. H. Ecker, Li Qian Tay, Jon Roozenbeek, Sander van der Linden, John Cook, Naomi Oreskes, Stephan Lewandowsky Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review T1 - Why Misinformation Must Not Be Ignored

N2 - Recent academic debate has seen the emergence of the claim that misinformation is not a significant societal problem. We argue that the arguments used to support this minimizing position are flawed, particularly if interpreted (e.g., by policymakers or the public) as suggesting that misinformation can be safely ignored. Here, we rebut the two main claims, namely that misinformation is not of substantive concern (a) due to its low incidence and (b) because it has no causal influence on notable political or behavioral... Through a critical review of the current literature, we demonstrate that (a) the prevalence of misinformation is nonnegligible if reasonably inclusive definitions are applied and that (b) misinformation has causal impacts on important beliefs... Both scholars and policymakers should therefore continue to take misinformation seriously. Public Significance Statement This article refutes claims that misinformation is an insignificant issue.

Through a critical literature review, we demonstrate that misinformation represents a nontrivial part of the information environment and can causally and adversely influence people's beliefs, decisions, and behaviors. We clarify through our discussion why misinformation continues to be a significant problem that should not be ignored by communicators and policymakers. Recent academic debate has seen the emergence of the claim that misinformation is not a significant societal problem. We argue that the arguments used to support this minimizing position are flawed, particularly if interpreted (e.g., by policymakers or the public) as suggesting that misinformation can be safely ignored. Here, we rebut the two main claims, namely that misinformation is not of substantive concern (a) due to its low incidence and (b) because it has no causal influence on notable political or behavioral... Through a critical review of the current literature, we demonstrate that (a) the prevalence of misinformation is nonnegligible if reasonably inclusive definitions are applied and that (b) misinformation has causal impacts on important beliefs...

Both scholars and policymakers should therefore continue to take misinformation seriously. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved). American Psychologist, Vol 80(6), Sep 2025, 867-878; doi:10.1037/amp0001448 Recent academic debate has seen the emergence of the claim that misinformation is not a significant societal problem. We argue that the arguments used to support this minimizing position are flawed, particularly if interpreted (e.g., by policymakers or the public) as suggesting that misinformation can be safely ignored. Here, we rebut the two main claims, namely that misinformation is not of substantive concern (a) due to its low incidence and (b) because it has no causal influence on notable political or behavioral...

Through a critical review of the current literature, we demonstrate that (a) the prevalence of misinformation is nonnegligible if reasonably inclusive definitions are applied and that (b) misinformation has causal impacts on important beliefs... Both scholars and policymakers should therefore continue to take misinformation seriously. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved) Ecker, Ullrich; Tay, Li Qian; Roozenbeek, Jon; van der Linden, Sander; Cook, John; Oreskes, Naomi; Lewandowsky, Stephan Fake News and Politicization, Mis- and Disinformation, Mis- and Disinformation Sign-up to our newsletter to be informed about latest developments: our Unpacking Current Developments in the Information Space Insight Series, our newsletter, news from our network, events and publications.

2025 - Observatory on Information & Democracy This map represents a statistical summary of the thematic content of the report. The network graph represents relations between the words in the report, placing them closer to each other the more they are related. The bigger the node, the more present the word is, signalling its role in defining what the report or chapter is about. The colors represent words that are closely related to each other and can be interpreted as a topic. Ullrich K H Ecker*, Li Qian Tay, Jon Roozenbeek, Sander Van Der Linden, John Cook, Naomi Oreskes, Stephan Lewandowsky

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article (Academic Journal) › peer-review Research output: Contribution to journal › Article (Academic Journal) › peer-review T1 - Why Misinformation Must Not Be Ignored N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2024 The Author(s) Ullrich K. H.

Ecker, Li Qian Tay, Jon Roozenbeek, Sander van der Linden, John Cook, Naomi Oreskes, Stephan Lewandowsky Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

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