Social media overuse tied to belief in fake news

A new study found that people who experience excessive social media use are more likely to believe fake news.
The study, conducted by Michigan State University researchers, involved 189 participants aged 18-26 and presented them with real and false news stories formatted as social media posts.
Participants who displayed symptoms of problematic social media use were more likely to engage with fake news, share it, and even click on it, regardless of its accuracy.
The researchers believe their study is the first to examine the link between problematic social media use and trust in fake news, and hope their findings will inform efforts to combat misinformation and disinformation.
The study’s authors suggest that identifying individuals who are more susceptible to fake news could help reduce its spread, and that social media companies may be able to develop strategies to support these users and limit their exposure to false information.

A first-of-its-kind study reveals that people who experience the most distress and impairment in daily functioning from social media use are more likely to believe fake news.

“Social media are everywhere in our daily lives, and some people display problematic, excessive use of these platforms. We found that this overuse is associated with a greater tendency to believe in and engage with misinformation,” says Dar Meshi, an associate professor at Michigan State University and coauthor of the study in the journal PLOS One.

Meshi and his coauthor, Maria D. Molina, conducted an online experiment in which 189 participants, age 18 to 26, were presented with 20 news stories formatted as social media posts. Ten of the stories were real and ten were false, and the order of delivery was randomized.

By assessing participants’ credibility judgment of these news posts; participants intentions to click, comment, like, and share posts; and their degree of problematic social media use, Meshi and Molina found that the greater people’s symptoms of problematic social media use, the more likely they were to:

believe fake news is true;
interact with news posts regardless if they were real or fake; and
want to click on fake news posts.

Fake or false news falls under two categories: misinformation if it is unintentionally distributed and disinformation if it is intentionally distributed to deceive people.

“False news has become a hotly debated and researched topic because of its availability to be shared and spread over social media. Over 60% of people in the US read content on social media, and research has demonstrated that false news disseminates over social media at a greater rate than real news,” says Molina.

The researchers believe their study is the first to look at how problematic social media use is involved with people’s trust in fake news by measuring their intended actions, like clicking, liking and sharing posts. Although the American Psychiatric Association doesn’t recognize problematic social media use as a clinical disorder, Meshi points out that it shares similarities with substance use and other behavioral addictive disorders.

“People who display problematic social media use may feel bad if they can’t access it, and they might even return to it after trying to quit. This kind of behavior has been linked to job loss, poor grades, and mental health issues,” Meshi says.

Meshi and Molina hope their findings will help mental health professionals working with people who struggle with social media use, as well as others in the health care field.

“Individuals with signs of problematic social media use may also be more susceptible to health-related misinformation, so clinicians specializing in different fields may benefit from awareness of their patients’ degree of social media use,” says Molina.

The study’s findings could also help inform efforts from governmental agencies, organizations and social media companies to combat misinformation and disinformation.

“By identifying people who are more likely to believe fake news, we can help reduce its spread,” Meshi says.

“Researchers could work with social media companies to find ways to help these users and limit their exposure to fake news.”

Support for the study came from Michigan State University’s Trifecta Initiative.

Source: Michigan State University

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Q. What is the main finding of the study conducted by Dar Meshi and Maria D. Molina?

A. The study found that people who experience excessive social media use are more likely to believe fake news.

Q. How did the researchers assess participants’ credibility judgment of news posts?

A. They assessed participants’ credibility judgment by assessing their intentions to click, comment, like, and share posts, as well as their degree of problematic social media use.

Q. What is the difference between misinformation and disinformation in the context of fake news?

A. Misinformation refers to false information that is unintentionally distributed, while disinformation refers to false information that is intentionally distributed to deceive people.

Q. How does the study’s findings relate to mental health issues?

A. The study found that individuals with signs of problematic social media use may be more susceptible to mental health issues, and clinicians specializing in different fields may benefit from awareness of their patients’ degree of social media use.

Q. What is the potential impact of the study’s findings on efforts to combat misinformation and disinformation?

A. The study’s findings could help inform efforts to reduce the spread of fake news by identifying people who are more likely to believe it.

Q. How does the American Psychiatric Association view problematic social media use?

A. Although the American Psychiatric Association does not recognize problematic social media use as a clinical disorder, it shares similarities with substance use and other behavioral addictive disorders.

Q. What is the Trifecta Initiative that supported this study?

A. The Trifecta Initiative is a program at Michigan State University that supports research on various topics, including this study on social media overuse and fake news.

Q. How does the study’s findings relate to the prevalence of false news on social media?

A. Research has demonstrated that false news disseminates over social media at a greater rate than real news, with over 60% of people in the US reading content on social media.

Q. What is the potential benefit of identifying individuals who are more likely to believe fake news?

A. Identifying these individuals could help reduce the spread of fake news by allowing for targeted interventions and efforts to combat misinformation.