Let's play a game called put a finger down. As you read
this, hold up both hands with extended fingers. I am going to ask a series of
questions, and I want you to put a finger down for every action you have done.
Additionally, put a finger down for every statement or question you find to be
true. Have you ever read a story, blog, or article on social media? After reading
that story, did you find any inconsistencies? Have you seen a story about a
celebrity on a blog? Have you ever conversed with another person about the
story you read? After reading the information, have you seen or heard an
interview from that celebrity giving their truth? At this point, you should
only have one hand up. I know I do. This game's end is to show how easy it is
for people to read a story on social media and believe it to be confirmed with
no other questions asked.
I do not only rely on social media as my primary source of
information. Diving a little deeper makes you ask more questions. Why does one
become a victim of fake news stories? Why can't one easily spot fake news when
they encounter it? You would think that people would fact-check since so much
information is readily available on the world wide web at our fingertips. One
of the reasons fake news is a problem is that it confuses people, and pointing
out the facts does not solve the problem. And that is quite unfortunate. It is
not a question of gullibility. It is due to a characteristic of human thinking
known as cognitive bias. Cognitive biases are detours or shortcuts in thinking,
remembering, or evaluating something that may lead to an erroneous conclusion (Forman, 2020). Cognitive biases also
impact the manner in which we use information.
When it comes to fake news, four types of cognitive biases
are particularly relevant: First, people tend to focus on headlines and tags
without reading the linked article. Second, social media popularity signals
influence our attention and information reception. Third, fake news takes
advantage of a very powerful reflex: partisanship. And the fourth is
persistence. There is a strange tendency for misinformation to persist even
after it has been corrected (Banaji & Greenworld, 2016). The first of these
biases is our tendency to rely on attention-grabbing signals sent by fake news
without overvaluing the information that accompanies these signals.
Unfortunately, many people give their opinions without reading the news
article. Another bias relates to message popularity. The well-known
"follower effect" occurs when many other people seem to like
something, and we are more likely to support it as well. When it comes to fake
news, the bandwagon or follow effect happens when we see how many times
something has been shared or liked, not because of the content itself (Forman, 2020). Belief is also
influenced by how many stars a story gets or what percentage of people rated
the story positively. Particular popularity allows us to bypass data
evaluation. If thousands of other people shared the news, surely someone else
confirmed it, right? Unfortunately, as we've already learned, sharing and
liking can often happen without anyone reading what's being shared. In
addition, the apparent popularity of fake news can also be increased by bots
whose sole purpose is to make certain news stories frequently read and
recommended. Popularity perceptions have the power to affect both our attention
and conduct. We appear to enjoy what other people like, and we also want to be
liked and look well with other people. Whether internet news is accurate or
incorrect, we also utilize other people's remarks as a reference on how to
understand it (Forman, 2020). Human psychological
impulses to fit in with the group cause us to speak what we believe those who
are similar to us are saying (Banaji & Greenworld, 2016). Social media
comments have an impact on how we judge the material as well, and we frequently
reflect the opinions expressed in the comments on the subject, especially when
we identify with the commentators. Partisanship, which results from our current
political affiliation, is a third sort of prejudice. Regardless of its
veracity, what we quickly believe or reject in the news depends much on one's
identity as a Democrat or Republican, as well as on how liberal or conservative
they perceive themselves to be. As difficult as it may be to believe, a wealth
of data demonstrates that people regularly reject news that is at odds with
their political ideology and are more likely to embrace news that does. Last
but not least, cognitive biases can be problematic because of how persistent
they can be and how they make it difficult to disprove mistaken ideas (Forman, 2020). It would be lovely
if all that needed to be done was to alert individuals when the information
they are consuming is wrong. Sadly, that isn't the case. The lack of those
warnings may have a more significant effect than their existence, even if there
were some kind of correction on false news reports that would advise consumers
to take them with a grain of salt.
Fake news actually helps social media networks financially
since these sensationalized tales boost user engagement, shares, and likes.
Social media platforms naturally encourage and widen the dissemination of false
information due to popularity indicators and the capacity of automated systems
to artificially enhance the perceived authority of postings through likes,
comments, and shares (Banaji & Greenworld, 2016). For a number of
reasons, social media platforms are the ideal "home" for fake news. Low
entrance fees apply. For purveyors of fake news articles, using social media
platforms to disseminate false information online is essentially
"free." It can be challenging to discern the actual source or
reliability of news stories due to the digital look and style of social media
platforms.
Whew! That was a lot of words to say; the next time you read
an article on a social media platform, turn off your biases and make sure you
fact-check.
Banaji, M. R., & Greenworld, A. G. (2016). Blindspot:
Hidden Biases of Good People. New York: PressMedia.
Forman, J. (2020). Cognitive Biases: A Fascinating
Look into Human Psychology. Jakarta: Primasta.
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