Why do people share misinformation online?
Directions:
their social circles, study suggests” (Eric W. Dolan, PsyPost).
misinformation.
misinformation.
Resource Connection Tip: Complete the “Conspiratorial Thinking” Checkology® lesson
for relevant insights.
Find this excerpt. A series of studies published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General provides evidence that the pressure to conform is a key psychological driver of sharing fake news. The findings indicate that failing to share misinformation that is endorsed by other group members can lead to adverse social consequences. In your own words, what are the conclusions of these studies regarding sharing misinformation? | |||
How does sharing misinformation contribute to political echo chambers? |
PART A: New studies on misinformation
* misinformation: information that is misleading, erroneous or false
* echo chamber: an online space in which only information that supports a given belief is shared or repeated and any information that contradicts that belief is excluded
Dig Deeper
March 13, 2023
NAME:
DATE:
What did the researchers find in this study? Part one (about tweets in the same social circles): | Find an excerpt or two that support your answer. Write or summarize it/them here. | ||
Part two (comparing Twitter users who shared misinformation in the first test with general Twitter users): | | ||
PART B: Other studies
Find this excerpt. “People fearing social costs are more likely to share fake news. Importantly, this fear is warranted: Social connections who did not share the same fake news as others experienced reduced social interaction on Twitter,” the researchers wrote. Why is this an important finding? | |||
Find this excerpt. “Likewise, participants indicated a tendency to sideline deviant group members for future social interactions in the experimental studies. By documenting both the role of social costs in determining sharing decisions and their real presence on Twitter, our work advances the literature by identifying social costs as a key psychological driver of the spread of misinformation.” Why is this an important finding? | |||
What question do the researchers suggest should be addressed in future research? Why? |
If you are on social media, what kinds of stories do you share? | What motivates you to share these stories? | Do your friends share similar stories? | |||
What would you do if you knew a friend posted misinformation? Why? | |||||
How does your experience relate to the studies’ findings? | |||||
What do you think are some other reasons people might share misinformation? (Tip: Use the “Conspiratorial Thinking” poster to help you.) | |||||
PART C: Reflecting on your experience.
Conclusion: Describe the psychological factors influencing why some people spread
misinformation. Use details from all parts of this think sheet in your response.
Extend: With a friend, discuss the public significance statement in the actual research article in Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. Revise your conclusion to include additional insights based on the article and conversation.
The Sift DIG DEEPER resource was inspired from a worksheet created by educator Ellie Strand.