The Battle Against Fake News: Research Shows It’s Complicated

Social media platforms like Facebook and Google have launched efforts to combat fake news, but researchers are still working to understand how misinformation spreads and why people believe it. According to a 2016 Pew Research Center survey, nearly a quarter of American adults have shared fake news with others, whether knowingly or unknowingly.

The term “fake news” encompasses various forms of content, from satirical programs like “Saturday Night Live’s” Weekend Update to deliberately fabricated stories designed to mislead readers. During the 2016 U.S. presidential election, the internet was flooded with false information and conspiracy theories, prompting concerns about the impact on public opinion and voting behavior.

A comprehensive study by Hunt Allcott and Matthew Gentzkow found that during the three months before the 2016 election, false stories favoring Donald Trump were shared 30 million times on Facebook, compared to 8 million shares for pro-Clinton fake news. However, their research suggests that for fake news to have changed the election outcome, a single fake article would need to have the same persuasive effect as 36 television campaign ads.

“People are vulnerable to misinformation in ways that are difficult to counter,” says David Lazer, lead author of “The Science of Fake News,” published in Science in March 2018. The paper points to the erosion of traditional institutional safeguards against misinformation in the internet era and calls for a new system to protect the public.

Psychology research offers insights into why people fall for fake news. A 2018 study by Gordon Pennycook and David Rand found that individuals who are receptive to “pseudo-profound bullshit” – finding meaning in randomly generated sentences – are more likely to believe fake news stories. Similarly, those who overstate their knowledge are more susceptible to misinformation.

Analytical thinking plays a critical role in recognizing fake content. “Our results suggest that belief in fake news has similar cognitive properties to other forms of bullshit receptivity,” Pennycook and Rand note, emphasizing that critical thinking skills help people distinguish between reliable and unreliable information.

Correcting misinformation presents its own challenges. Research by Man-pui Sally Chan and colleagues shows that debunking efforts can be effective but that misinformation often persists despite corrections. The effect is stronger when people have already generated reasons supporting the false information. Detailed debunking messages correlate positively with successful correction but can paradoxically strengthen the persistence of the original misinformation.

Brendan Nyhan and Jason Reifler’s research suggests that providing an alternative causal explanation is more effective than simply denying false information. Their experiments show that people need a replacement narrative when the original explanation is debunked.

The dynamics of rumor spread on social media reveal additional complexities. Arkaitz Zubiaga’s team analyzed 330 rumor threads and found that true rumors tend to be resolved faster than false ones. More troubling, their research showed that users generally support unverified rumors regardless of their eventual truthfulness. Even highly reputable sources like news organizations sometimes spread unverified information that later proves false.

Emotional states also influence susceptibility to misinformation. Brian Weeks’ experimental research demonstrates that anger encourages partisan evaluation of misinformation, while anxiety sometimes promotes more open-minded consideration based on the information environment rather than party affiliation.

For news consumers and journalists alike, the research underscores the importance of developing effective strategies to identify and combat fake news. Tools for automated detection show promise – one study achieved 97% accuracy in distinguishing fake images from real ones during Hurricane Sandy.

As social media continues to transform how information spreads, understanding the psychological, social, and technological factors that contribute to misinformation becomes increasingly crucial. Research suggests a multi-faceted approach involving education, technology, and changes to the information ecosystem will be necessary to address the fake news phenomenon effectively.