By Michael Seifert
Why is fake news so successful? The science editorial team at SPIEGEL has been investigating this question and has compiled studies by international teams of psychologists, cognitive researchers and educational researchers. According to these studies, out of every 100 fake reports that people read, on average more than 20 are believed. According to the scientists, this is because fake news is attractive to the way our brains work. They have found that in social networks, fake news is more often liked, shared and commented on than true news and that it spreads faster that way. As social beings, people don’t like to feel like outsiders. If a lot of people have shared or liked a piece of misinformation, we are more likely to believe it.
Bad news – essential for survival
The reason for this is easy to explain: fake news is usually bad news, and people pay more attention to it and consider it more credible. And that was also crucial in human evolution: “If you want to survive in a world full of risks and dangers, negative information is immediately important,” says psychologist Ralph Hertwig from the Max Planck Institute for Human Development. Positive news, on the other hand, is rarely interpreted as a danger.
Our perspectives are solidified
Even when false reports are corrected, they are better remembered than the correction, because according to the results of learning research, of two pieces of information of equal value, the first to be learned is better remembered. This is further reinforced by the fact that people tend to construct their own truth. They have a hard time dealing with uncertainty, which can lead them to store their own convictions as facts. The false information is all the more successful if it corresponds to our point of view and thus reinforces our convictions.
Social media exploits these psychological mechanisms: Due to digital algorithms for our preferences, we receive mostly messages and news that confirm our world view. The credibility of fake news is increased by photos or videos, as studies show. It does not matter whether they prove information or not, it is enough if you can better imagine what it is about.
Recognizing tactics and fact-checking
So with fake news being so persuasive, what can we do to recognize it? According to scientists at Cambridge University, knowledge of the tactics used to spread fake news helps. It improves our ability to recognize unreliable information by about 20 to 25 percent. Prevention helps like a “vaccination” against the effects of disinformation, strengthening our digital immune system. So it is important to have a comprehensive digital education and training and thus also the ability to do a fact check: to obtain background information, look out for contradictions and search for several sources for a statement by using as many different websites as possible.
To the article in DER SPIEGEL (fee required): DER SPIEGEL | Fake News
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