Researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) may have uncovered the biggest influencer in the spread of fake news: social media platforms’ reward system for users who habitually share information.
The findings, which were published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, indicate that just 15% of the most habitual news sharers in the research were responsible for spreading around 30-40% of the fake news. The research team found that social media, much like a video game, has a rewards system that encourages users to stay on their accounts and keep posting and sharing. Users who post and share frequently, especially sensational, attention-grabbing information, are likely to attract attention.
The team’s findings upend popular misconceptions that misinformation spreads due to a lack of critical thinking skills or strong political beliefs that skew judgment. The study’s authors say that their findings “exemplify how the reward-based learning systems on social media can form habits of sharing information that gets recognition from others. Once habits form, information sharing is automatically activated by cues on the platform without users considering critical response outcomes, such as spreading misinformation.”
The study involved 2,476 active Facebook users ranging in age from 18 to 89 who volunteered in response to online advertising to participate. They were compensated to complete a “decision-making” survey approximately seven minutes long.
The researchers found that users’ social media habits doubled and, in some cases, tripled the amount of fake news they shared. Their habits were more influential in sharing fake news than other factors, including political beliefs and lack of critical reasoning. Frequent, habitual users forwarded six times more fake news than occasional or new users.
The study’s authors say that understanding the dynamics behind misinformation spread is crucial given its political, health, and social consequences. It is important to note that the structure of social media platforms plays a bigger role when it comes to misinformation spread. The findings reveal a new understanding of the underlying causes of fake news and could potentially pave the way for new ways to combat the spread of misinformation.