Why Misinformation Must Not Be Ignored

Abstract

Recent academic debate has seen the emergence of a position that misinformation is not a significant current problem. We believe that the arguments used to support this minimizing position are flawed, particularly if interpreted (e.g., by policymakers or the public) as evidence suggesting that misinformation can be safely ignored. Here, we rebut the two main misleading claims, namely that misinformation is not of substantive concern due to its low incidence and because it has no causal influence on notable political or behavioral outcomes. Through a critical review of current literature, we demonstrate that (1) misinformation incidence is non-negligible if appropriate definitions are applied and that (2) misinformation has causal impacts on important beliefs and behaviors—even if it can also be conceptualized as a symptom of deep-seated societal issues. Both scholars and policymakers are therefore encouraged to continue to take misinformation seriously.

Nudge-based misinformation interventions are effective in information environments with low misinformation prevalence

“…Specifically, (1) the proportion of false information is often artificially high (e.g., 50% of the claims presented), (2) participants are often exposed to only verifiable (i.e., objectively true or false) information, typically in the form of news headlines, and (3) participants are often required to actively appraise whether or not they would engage with each item (e.g., headline). In contrast, the quantity of misinformation people are exposed to on real-world social-media platforms is typically small compared to the amount of true or non-verifiable (e.g., personal or opinion-based) information [19][20][21] , and the volume of information people are exposed to on social media exceeds what they are able or inclined to critically appraise 13,[22][23][24] .…”