Why is misinformation so hard to control on social media? Because the most-rewarded content is often the most attention-grabbing. Furthermore, people with strong news-sharing habits become less discerning about the content they share over time — including verifying whether it is true or false. The habit of sharing content automatically and subsequently getting rewards (likes, reactions, comments, and other forms of engagement) further cements the loop.
Sharing of misinformation is habitual, not just lazy or biased | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Why do people share misinformation on social media? In this research (N = 2,476), we show that the structure of online sharing built into social pl...
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