Misinformation
In January 2024, the World Economic Forum identified misinformation and disinformation, propagated by both internal and external interests, to "widen societal and political divides" as the most severe global risks within the next two years.It was not until late August that reliable reports of the Spanish defeat arrived in major cities and were widely believed; the remains of the fleet returned home in the autumn.[42][43][44] At the group level, in-group bias and a tendency to associate with like-minded or similar people can produce echo chambers and information silos that can create and reinforce misinformation beliefs.[46] In addition, societal trends like political polarization, economic inequalities, declining trust in science, and changing perceptions of authority contribute to the impact of misinformation.[59] The translation of scientific research into popular reporting can also lead to confusion if it flattens nuance, sensationalizes the findings, or places too much emphasis on weaker levels of evidence.[70] Misleading graphs and charts can be identified through careful examination of the data presentation; for example, truncated axes or poor color choices can cause confusion.[77][78] People who are familiar with a topic, the processes of researching and presenting information, or have critical evaluation skills are more likely to correctly identify misinformation.[80] Martin Libicki, author of Conquest In Cyberspace: National Security and Information Warfare,[81] notes that readers should aim to be skeptical but not cynical.DeSmog, formerly The DeSmogBlog, publishes factually accurate information in order to counter the well-funded disinformation campaigns spread by motivated deniers of climate change.Google and many social media platforms have added automatic fact-checking programs to their sites and created the option for users to flag information that they think is false.[114][115] Strategies that may be more effective for lasting correction of false beliefs include focusing on intermediaries (such as convincing activists or politicians who are credible to the people who hold false beliefs, or promoting intermediaries who have the same identities or worldviews as the intended audience), minimizing the association of misinformation with political or group identities (such as providing corrections from nonpartisan experts, or avoiding false balance based on partisanship in news coverage), and emphasizing corrections that are hard for people to avoid or deny (such as providing information that the economy is unusually strong or weak, or describing the increased occurrence of extreme weather events in response to climate change denial).[116][83] For example, if corrective information is only published in science-focused publications and fact-checking websites, it may not reach the people who believe in misinformation since they are less likely to read those sources.[116][117][118][119] A 2020 review of the scientific literature on backfire effects found that there have been widespread failures to replicate their existence, even under conditions that would be theoretically favorable to observing them.[120] For instance, one study found that inoculation and accuracy primes to some extent undermined users' ability to distinguish implausible from plausible conspiracy theories.[124] Moreover, users of social media platforms may experience intensely negative feelings, perplexity, and worry as a result of the spread of false information.[124] An emerging trend in the online information environment is "a shift away from public discourse to private, more ephemeral, messaging", which is a challenge to counter misinformation.[148] A research report by NewsGuard found there is a very high level (~20% in their probes of videos about relevant topics) of online misinformation delivered – to a mainly young user base – with TikTok, whose (essentially unregulated) usage is increasing as of 2022.[165] In September 2021, more than a year after YouTube said it would take down misinformation about the coronavirus vaccines, the accounts of six out of twelve anti-vaccine activists identified by the nonprofit Center for Countering Digital Hate were still searchable and still posting videos.[172] Most recently, social media companies have faced criticism over allegedly prematurely censoring the discussion of the SARS-CoV 2 Lab Leak Hypothesis.In the video, Immanuel suggested that there was no need for masks, school closures, or any kind of economic shut down; attesting that her alleged cure was highly effective in treating those infected with the virus.Over 50 intelligence officials found the disclosure of emails allegedly belonging to Joe Biden's son had all the "classic earmarks of a Russian information operation".[177] An example of bad information from media sources that led to the spread of misinformation occurred in November 2005, when Chris Hansen on Dateline NBC claimed that law enforcement officials estimate 50,000 predators are online at any moment.[179] Misinformation was a major talking point during the 2016 U.S. presidential election with claims of social media sites allowing "fake news" to be spread.[180] The Liar's Dividend describes a situation in which individuals are so concerned about realistic misinformation (in particular, deepfakes) that they begin to mistrust real content, particularly if someone claims that it is false.Moreover, the advert infamously shown on the side of London's double-decker busses did not take into account the UK's budget rebate, and the idea that 100% of the money saved would go to the NHS was unrealistic.For instance, tobacco companies employed misinformation in the second half of the twentieth century to diminish the reliability of studies that demonstrated the link between smoking and lung cancer.[188] In the medical field, misinformation can immediately lead to life endangerment as seen in the case of the public's negative perception towards vaccines or the use of herbs instead of medicines to treat diseases.[190][191] Misinformation regarding proper safety measures for the prevention of the virus that go against information from legitimate institutions like the World Health Organization can also lead to inadequate protection and possibly place individuals at risk for exposure.[195] However, various scholars and journalists have criticised this development, pointing to problematic normative assumptions, a varying quality of output and lack of methodological rigor, as well as a too strong impact of mis- and disinformation research in shaping public opinion and policymaking.[196][197] Summarising the most frequent points of critique, communication scholars Chico Camargo and Felix Simon wrote in an article for the Harvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review that "mis-/disinformation studies has been accused of lacking clear definitions, having a simplified understanding of what it studies, a too great emphasis on media effects, a neglect of intersectional factors, an outsized influence of funding bodies and policymakers on the research agenda of the field, and an outsized impact of the field on policy and policymaking.
DisinformationMisinformation effectcampaigningVote Leave2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referenduminformationWorld Economic Forumfact-checkinginformation deficit modeltechnologyMalinformationdoxingrevenge pornRumorsRenaissance ItalypasquinadesPasquinotalking statues in RomeFranceSpanish ArmadaPope Sixtus VducatsGreat Moon HoaxThe SunChicago TribuneDewey Defeats TrumanHarry S. Truman2016 United States presidential electionCOVID-19 pandemicScheufelein-group biasecho chambersinformation siloscredibility24 hour news cycleevidencestereotypescommon sensebiasedpolitical spectrummedia literacycritical evaluation skillsMartin LibickigullibleparanoidworldviewFactCheck.orgDeSmogdeniers of climate changesocial pressurefalse dichotomiesad hominemRoyal SocietyCollective intelligencepeer-reviewEstonianNew Jerseymisinformation about climate changeInternational Panel on the Information Environmentbrowseraddonsfalsity scoreselitesfalse balanceextreme weatherclimate change denialBelief perseverancefailures to replicatereproducibilityovergeneralizedmessagingInformation Agesocial networking sitesfake newsfilter bubblestraditional mediaculture warsCOVID-19 misinformationmisinformationStop Mandatory VaccinationNewsGuardTikTokMisinformation on FacebookFacebookhot topic with the spread of COVID-19anti-vaxCommunity NotesTwitterbot accountsclimate changeParlerJanuary 6 United States Capitol attackAnti-intellectualanti-scientificscientific consensus on climate changescientific consensusclimate denialismOne America News NetworkCOVID-19cast doubtSky News AustraliaCenter for Countering Digital Hatepeer reviewcensorshipSARS-CoV 2 Lab Leak HypothesishydroxychloroquineDonald TrumpWorld Health OrganizationNew York PostHunter BidenBiden–Ukraine conspiracy theoryJoe BidenChris HansenDateline NBCAlberto GonzalesGoldilocksconspiracy theoryCOVID-19 was linked to the 5G network2016 U.S. presidential electiondeepfakes2016 UK European Union membership referendumNational Health ServiceIpsos MORIpolitical propagandasmokinglung cancer