How People Weave Online Information Into Pseudoknowledge

Abstract

Misinformation has found a new natural habitat in the digital age. Thousands of forums, blogs, and alternative news sources amplify fake news and inaccurate information to such a degree that it impacts our collective intelligence. Researchers and policy makers are troubled by misinformation because it is presumed to energize or even carry false narratives that can motivate poor decision-making and dangerous behaviors. Yet, while a growing body of research has focused on how viral misinformation spreads, little work has examined how false narratives are in fact constructed. In this study, we move beyond contagion inspired approaches to examine how people construct a false narrative. We apply prior work in cognitive science on narrative understanding to illustrate how the narrative changes over time and in response to social dynamics, and examine how forum participants draw upon a diverse set of online sources to substantiate the narrative. We find that the narrative is based primarily on reinterpretations of conventional and scholarly sources, and then used to provide an alternate account of unfolding events. We conclude that the link between misinformation, conventional knowledge, and false narratives is more complex than is often presumed, and advocate for a more direct study of this relationship.

Fake news and COVID-19: modelling the predictors of fake news sharing among social media users

“…Therefore, the U&G theory has been adopted by social media researchers to realise the gratifications an individual gain from the usage of social media platforms. For instance, Introne et al (2018) established information seeking, information erudition, entertainment, and relational communication as some of the gratifications people obtain from the usage of social media. Similarly, Dunne et al (2010) found that information probing, relationship conservation and peer approval were associated with the usage of SNS.…”

Modelling the antecedent factors that affect online fake news sharing on COVID-19: the moderating role of fake news knowledge

“…These studies have attempted to explore the gratifications associated with the new media. For instance, Introne et al [ 12 ] proposed that the perceived gratifications of online news sharing were entertainment, interpersonal communication, information-seeking and information learning. Park and Blenkinsopp [ 13 ] proposed four gratifications derived from social media use, including information-seeking, socializing, entertainment, and self-status-seeking.…”

Health Misinformation and the Power of Narrative Messaging in the Public Sphere

“…Narrative is a powerful tool that can enhance engagement and understanding of both truths and falsehoods [10]. Online, and specifically in the context of misinformation (e.g., conspiracy narratives, pseudoscience), research has shown that the construction and dissemination of narratives requires the efforts of numerous participants with differing levels of engagement [11]. It is dynamic, incorporating numerous discursive elements (multiple sources, hashtags, hyperlinks, memes, etc.)…”