The Impulse to Share Lowers Our Ability to Spot Fake News

According to a study by researchers at MIT, the impulse to share interferes with our ability to spot fake news. They surveyed more than 3,000 social media users from across the US. Participants were shown a series of true and false headlines. Sometimes they were asked to rate the headline’s accuracy or simply to consider sharing the item on social media. The participants were 35% less likely to tell true from false if they had first been asked to consider sharing the item Social media companies can help stem the flow of misinformation by making it less rewarding to share content on their platforms. Fake news or misinformation can accelerate the erosion of social cohesion and destabilize trust in political processes. How good are you at spotting fake news?