{"id":201506,"date":"2020-02-12T16:41:08","date_gmt":"2020-02-12T13:41:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ww-vb.mine.nu\/w108\/researchers-say-this-simple-trick-could-stop-the-spread-of-misinformation-on-social-media-vanderbilt-news\/"},"modified":"2020-02-12T16:41:08","modified_gmt":"2020-02-12T13:41:08","slug":"researchers-say-this-simple-trick-could-stop-the-spread-of-misinformation-on-social-media-vanderbilt-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hameed.nwar.uk\/sa\/researchers-say-this-simple-trick-could-stop-the-spread-of-misinformation-on-social-media-vanderbilt-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Researchers say this simple trick could stop the spread of misinformation on social media | Vanderbilt News"},"content":{"rendered":"

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(Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The proliferation of false news stories is a big problem in social media, but there may be a very simple remedy, according to a new Vanderbilt University study published in Harvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review<\/em>.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Lisa Fazio (Vanderbilt University)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For most people, clicking \u201cshare\u201d happens almost involuntarily, especially when a headline triggers an emotional response or reinforces something they already believe, says Lisa Fazio, an expert on how the brain processes truth and misinformation. She conducted a study to see if asking people to explain why a headline is true or false affected their intention of sharing it on social media.<\/p>\n

In the online experiment, 501 participants were presented a series of headlines and some were asked to pause to consider why they believed the headline was true or false before deciding if they would share it. Fazio found that taking this pause significantly reduced the participants\u2019 intention to share false headlines, and did not affect their intention to share the true headlines.<\/p>\n

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\u201cPeople may initially be willing to share false information, but with a pause, they are better able to resist that tendency.\u201d
\u2013Lisa Fazio<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cTaking that pause likely helped participants consult their prior knowledge and realize that the false headlines were incorrect,\u201d said Fazio, assistant professor of psychology and human development at Vanderbilt Peabody College of education and human development. \u201cIt also may have slowed people down and encouraged them to think more deeply about their actions rather than simply relying on their gut instinct.\u201d<\/p>\n

Prior research shows that providing an explanation helps people realize gaps between their perceived knowledge and actual knowledge, and improves learning in classroom settings. Instagram implemented the concept recently when it began prompting users, \u201cAre you sure you want to post this?\u201d when a post contains potentially bullying comments. Fazio believes that a similar prompt could help decrease shares of false information on social media.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe suggest that social media companies should encourage these pauses to help people to consider the accuracy and quality of what they are posting,\u201d she said. \u201cPeople may initially be willing to share false information, but with a pause, they are better able to resist that tendency.\u201d<\/p>\n

She adds that users can also commit to share content responsibly. \u201cIndividuals can implement this on their own by pausing to think about the truth of a story before sharing it with others,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Read the article \u201cReducing shares of false news stories: \u201cPausing to consider why a headline is true or false can help reduce the sharing of false news.\u201d <\/p>\n

This research was funded by a gift from Facebook Research.<\/p>\n

Follow Fazio on Twitter at @lkfazio.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n