Our laziness lets fake news thrive and even become profitable
Fake news is everywhere – and people are drawn to it for a variety of psychological reasons. But sometimes it’s the flow of advertisement money on social media having an impact, writes Emma Lacey
Misinformation has been on top of the news agenda all year, from Fox News’ squabble and ultimately its $800m settlement to Dominion in April, to the 15-minute city protests in Oxford. But something one seldom asks when it comes to fake news is what are the forces behind it. There are psychological and commercial factors driving the flow of misinformation, and different reasons why people are susceptible to fake news.
According to social psychologist Sander van der Linden, our cognitive biases are often exposed by misinformation, which he sees as operating like a virus. Cognitive bias is a disposition in human thinking that often doesn’t comply with logic, plausibility and reasoning, leaving us vulnerable to misinformation.
Our brains have evolved to use minimal mental effort where possible. This poses a problem when we encounter misinformation, as determining the accuracy of what we see online requires a much greater mental effort.
So we are likely to share content without recognising it is false. A study published in the journal American Behavioural Scientist also found people were more likely to share untruthful social media content if it aligned with their attitudes and beliefs.
Repeated exposure to misinformation can make us significantly more vulnerable to believing it. This phenomenon is known as the illusory truth effect. As content has the potential to go viral across multiple platforms and websites at one time, this exposure is almost completely unavoidable for today’s average web user.
Motivated reasoning also plays a role. This is when people use their reasoning skills to make decisions on what to believe, rather than using their skills to determine content accuracy. It’s also people’s rational thinking faculties that result in misinformed beliefs, rather than simply irrational reasoning, or lazy thinking.
There is less research available when it comes to the psychology behind the sharing of untruthful content on the internet. A Psychology Today survey found those who used social media actively were more eager to engage with posts containing fake news.
This determination to drive engagement, whether through likes, comments, and reposts, is a key motivator for those actively sharing misinformation across social media platforms. Users are also more likely to engage with and endorse false content if it has been shared by a family member or friend.
But while there are complex human reasons behind why misinformation continues to prosper online, there is another more straightforward cause – money. Advertising dollars are the driver behind most digital content; and that includes fake news.
The automated nature of online ad buying means that, despite measures to prevent it, advertising spend sometimes leads to sources of misinformation. Not only this, but the monetary and reputational legitimacy that ad placements give misinformation extends to user generated content as well. This year, for example, it was revealed that brands had been unwittingly supporting climate change denial videos on social platforms.
While individual users might have different motivations for sharing or resharing misinformation, brands have a responsibility to understand why this appeals to consumers, and cut it off at the source.
Prioritising a more transparent and targeted approach to ad placements should be seen as a win-win for all brands. It means not only avoiding the reputational damage that proximity to misinformation can bring, but also creating a better internet for users.
Tackling misinformation online needs to be a digital ecosystem-wide effort. All players should know why users are attracted to misinformation; but just as vital is taking direct action to deal with it. While platforms have a major role to play in stamping out misinformation, brands also need to recognise how they can be more effective with their marketing budgets to minimise the damage caused by fake news.