Instant communication and social media have made it easier than ever for people to get in touch with each other, regardless of time or place. While this is incredibly useful for a multitude of reasons, it has also created the perfect breeding ground for misinformation to spread like wildfire.
Research shows that Facebook users engage with misinformation — which often takes the form of fake news — 70 million times per month on average.
Due to artificially intelligent bots, “trolls,” who are intentionally hurtful and nasty, as well as micro-targeting and personalized ads, it’s all too easy for fake news to spread. Cognitive biases can make people more susceptible to misinformation. On social networks, we tend to share stories that tug at our emotions, and we’re more likely to engage with content that already has a lot of “likes,” comments, or re-tweets — regardless of whether that content is true or false.
Source: Guide to Misinformation and Fact Checking, Ohio University
