People who seek fact-checked information still share misinformation: study

People who seek fact-checked information still share misinformation: study

More than 30% of people who actively seek fact-checked information have shared misinformation themselves, a new study suggests.

Undertaken by researchers from RMIT FactLab, a research partner of RMIT ABC Fact Check, the study found that subscribers to a fact-checking email newsletter remained susceptible to sharing possible misinformation, despite rating themselves as highly capable of differentiating misinformation from accurate information.

Dr Lauren Saling, one of the authors of the study, which was published in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS ONE, said the results were surprising.

"One would expect that people who are concerned about fake news and misinformation and actively seek fact-checked information would be unlikely to share information of which the veracity is unknown to them," Saling, a lecturer in psychology at RMIT University, said.

Around 1,400 subscribers to CoronaCheck, a weekly email newsletter from RMIT ABC Fact Check, participated in the study. The majority said they subscribed to the newsletter in order to seek out accurate information or because they were concerned about misinformation.

Even among this cohort, however, 24.3% said they had shared information whose accuracy was unknown at the time, while 31.4% had shared information which they later learned to be inaccurate.

"While subscribing to a fact checking newsletter such as CoronaCheck likely sensitises individuals to the importance of information accuracy, this is clearly not sufficient to prevent individuals from sharing possible misinformation," the researchers noted.

"It therefore appears that, even for this cohort, a more explicit intervention is required to deter misinformation sharing."

According to Saling, men were more likely to share misinformation, as were those who reported a lower belief in science.

"We also found that vaccine hesitancy was predicted by a lower belief in science and higher conspiracy mentality," Saling said. "Males also had more vaccine hesitancy."

Among the reasons for sharing misinformation, 12.4% did so for entertainment value, 35.7% because the information seemed interesting and 38.3% to get a second opinion.

Saling noted that while possible misinformation was often shared in order to seek an opinion about its veracity rather than to mislead others, it was still "very problematic" and risked engendering false beliefs in others.

"The fact that the subscribers shared information of questionable accuracy suggests that people are not aware of how problematic sharing possible misinformation and fake news is."

Russell Skelton, the director of RMIT ABC Fact Check, said the survey shone a light on the urgent need for greater media literacy amongst people who rely on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok to stay connected.

"We know that a majority of news consumers in Australia absorb the news from social media rather than the legacy media outlets, a trend that has fuelled the waves of misinformation around the COVID-19 pandemic and which threaten public health and safety," he said.

Equipping social media users with the skills to be far more discerning in what they chose to share, as well as teaching the basic skills to sort fact from fiction was an "ongoing challenge", according to Skelton.

"We also need to know more about why people share misinformation and the impact of that. This survey is a first step."

Skelton said RMIT University had launched FactLab to debunk misinformation online and develop critical awareness about its origins and spread. The hub also conducts original research into the digital news ecosystem.

 

'No one is immune to misinformation: An investigation of misinformation sharing by subscribers to a fact-checking newsletter', with Lauren Saling, Devi Mallal, Falk Scholer, Russell Skelton and Damiano Spina is published in PLOS ONE (DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0255702).

 

Story: Ellen McCutchan

15 September 2021

Share

15 September 2021

Share

  • Research
  • Fact Check
  • Media & Communication
  • Society
Engage

Related News

Melbourne Music Week promo image

Students, alumni to stage light and audiovisual show for Melbourne Music Week

RMIT Culture is partnering with Melbourne Music Week to bring audiences an evening of music by Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio (MESS).

RMIT FactLab to use world-leading digital analysis to tackle election misinformation

Cutting edge disinformation detection and tracking software will be used by RMIT FactLab to investigate and debunk misinformation and disinformation on social media during the federal election campaign.

RMIT FactLab partners with Meta to address the spread of viral misinformation

RMIT FactLab has partnered with Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, to fight the spread of misinformation through independent third-party fact-checking.

Global studio looks to the role of design in planetary health

The need for designers to act, propose, challenge and share in response to the global ecological crisis was at the heart of a recent global design studio, Ideas for humanity: A cookbook for planetary health, bringing together students and staff in Australia, the UK and Spain.

Show more
aboriginal flag
torres strait flag

Acknowledgement of Country

RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business - Artwork 'Luwaytini' by Mark Cleaver, Palawa.

More information