Information about Misinformation

Overview

The term “fake news” typically refers to any information that is false and can possibly mislead viewers. Fake news can be split into 3 subcategories: disinformation, misinformation, and malinformation.

Fake news includes:

  1. Disinformation: purposefully deceives others and typically involves targeting people’s profiles and fabricating content
  2. Misinformation: does not have malicious intent and is typically accidentally spread (e.g., urban legends)
  3. Malinformation: has the intent to inflict personal harm onto others (e.g., hate speech and harassment)

Furthermore, some have labeled the following as subcategories of disinformation, while others have a broader approach, labeling these as subcategories of fake news.

  • Satire/Parody: stories that are purposefully fake but have no intention to cause harm; however, they can trick people
    • Oftentimes, the core purpose of such writing is to be somewhat comical
  • False/Deceptive aka Fabricated Content: made-up stories that are absent from any truth and are intended to purposefully mislead or make money through clicks
  • Misleading Content: stories that have no established baseline for proof but promote an agenda
    • Facts and information are misrepresented or skewed and can positively or negatively frame an issue or an individual.
  • Imposter Content: genuine, credible sources are impersonated (e.g., certain sources may claim to be popular news outlets, the government, etc.)
  • Fabricated Connection: the headlines, visuals, or captions don’t support the content 
  • Manipulated Content: the content and/or imagery is altered, which can involve doctoring or photoshopping images and videos.
  • Slanted/Biased Content: may contain truthful elements, but certain facts are selectively chosen and omitted
  • Confirmation Bias: the tendency to interpret new evidence as support for one’s existing beliefs or theories.
    • Affects everyone, as people naturally search for information that confirms their opinions.
    • Shapes how individuals approach and interpret new information.

As society moves towards digitizing information, the prevalence of fake news has skyrocketed. Additionally, the majority of society has begun to rely on digital information from social media and online news sites to receive their news. A study from 2024 found that 26% and 33% of individuals, especially younger readers, consume their news from social media and online news sites, respectively. Recently, the internet has revolutionized the speed and accessibility for individuals to share and receive information. However, this benefit is also a downfall of news consumption. Individuals can freely share whatever they want, whenever they want, as much as they want, which can cause an overflow of information that isn’t particularly true. Other people may view that posted content, believe it is true, and then repost it themselves, causing this false information to blow up. The mass amount of reiteration of this content may project to the media that what is false is true. For example, during the US 2016 election, nearly 40% of Americans viewed content from untrustworthy websites. Additionally, it was also found that in 2023, over 40% of US news consumers saw false information about COVID-19 just during the week that that study was conducted. 

Historically, falsehoods spread faster than the truth, with the truth taking about six times as long to reach people. Additionally, false news is 70% more likely to be reposted by users, as fake stories are more novel, surprising, and eye-catching. As a result, circulating fake news creates many dangerous unintended consequences for those who see the misleading posts. For example, during COVID-19, numerous uneducated users engaged in dangerous hygiene practices, such as drinking bleach, as a result of hearing false rumors before the truth. Moreover, false claims about treatments, diseases, and vaccines can reduce compliance with any medical professionals and encourage riskier behavior. Inaccuracies on the internet may lead to worsened symptoms and more severe consequences because people’s beliefs about the benefits of taking action to lessen the severity of a health risk play an essential role in seeking potential treatment. On a political level, fake news intensifies polarization, misleads voters, and spreads conspiracy theories, ultimately impacting the outcome of elections. For instance, during the 2016 U.S. election, false information spread through fake news sites, Russian troll farms, bots, and more, which caused many people to change their votes. Socially, interaction dynamics are affected, as fake news has the ability to manipulate emotional responses among groups with similar beliefs. Overall, fake news spreads rapidly and creates potential problems.

Fake news spreads through techniques that exploit attention and emotion, such as:

  • Sensational headlines: Exaggerated or misleading titles grab attention to attract clicks and shares
  • Repetition & coordinated reposting: False claims repeated across platforms feel familiar and more believable than just one single post
  • Manipulated media: Deepfakes, doctored images, and edited videos provide fabricated but convincing “evidence” that is difficult for casual viewers to detect
  • Selective quoting: Statements are taken out of context or shocking details distort meaning
  • Fake experts & fabricated authority: Individuals with false credentials gain trust and validate harmful misinformation
  • Microtargeting: Demographic and behavioral data are used to spread customized false content
  • Algorithmic amplification: Engagement-driven algorithms push sensational or polarizing content

Listed below are recommended ways of recognizing and preventing the spread of misinformation:

  • Identifying Fake News
    • Do not rely on only one source for your information. Cross-check using multiple sources to see if the same message is reiterated across credible sources
    • Commonalities between differently opinionated news sources are more likely to be factually true
    • Examine the source of your information. Examine: “Is the URL correct?”, “Is the person or organization spreading this information reliable?”, and “If so, what makes them reliable?”
      • If you have doubts about whether or not something is true, do not spread what you have heard. Verify your information first.
  • Addressing fake news
      • When addressing misinformation, do not simply tell others that they are wrong, help them to understand why using logic and evidence
      • Understand possible emotional connections as to why an individual may want to believe this misinformation.
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