The Let Down Effect

Abstract

Using experimental design, this study compares first-time voters' gratifications and uses of a traditional News 1 format with the increasingly popular fake news format. The data here found that while indeed young people may have initially assessed a greater level of gratification associated with the fake news genre, the group was significantly "let down" after exposure to such a program. Though first-time voters understand that traditional surveillance-type information-seeking activities are better associated with traditional News, they were ambivalent about approaching and avoiding both traditional News and fake news genres.

Shades of Fake News: Manifestation, Effects and Ways to Combat False Information

“…The format in which fake news is embodied can also be a moderator of its effects. Studies have shown that viewers of satirical or parodied content have a more comprehensive knowledge of the news agenda than those who watch televised news only, as the blend of seriousness and humour is a reliable source of information, satisfying two types of gratifications: the need of entertainment and the need of information (Browning & Sweetser, 2014). The problem is that fake news can infiltrate much easier within a transmitted opinion about a piece of information that within the information itself.…”