Fake News Sharing and Friendship Go Hand in Hand
Everyone is trying to fight fake news , but still little understands why such ridiculous information spreads so easily. However, one recent study may have revealed a very important piece of the puzzle: people trust their friends too much.
New research by the American Press Institute and the Associated Press-NORC Public Relations Research Center suggests that people believe more news content when it comes from trusted friends, regardless of its source. For example, if someone sees an article shared by their best friend Joe from an unknown, unverified media source, they are more likely to trust the information in the article than if they saw the same article from a reputable media source shared by someone. something they don’t know. I do not know either. That’s right, this study suggests that when it comes to news, the participant is more important than the media.
This could have happened for several reasons. First, we want to trust our friends (friends mean real friends , not random acquaintances you added on Facebook). In your opinion, these are people who met your personal standards and were deemed worthy of your time and attention. This is the family you choose. You think, “Joe is not an idiot. I don’t associate myself with idiots. It should be legal. ” And this leads to the next question. If you admitted that they were ignorant and guilty of spreading fake news, you would also admit that you poorly chose your inner circle. We like to think of ourselves as good judges of character, so we don’t allow such representations. It is much easier to just trust yourself, and therefore your fiends. Then, by word of mouth or when you hit the Share button, the inaccurate information moves on to the next group of friends who want to trust you.
Social media and third-party tools are doing their best to combat this cycle by flagging questionable messages or warning posters when links come from an unreliable source . But even with these measures, it’s important to stay toned so you don’t be part of the problem. Don’t get me wrong – you can trust your friends. You should. But you can also have doubts about what your friends are sharing on your social network. Don’t let your gut dictate whether you click the Share button or not.