A New York University professor advocates “prebunking”—sounding the alarm before a conspiracy theory spreads too widely
“We the People,” as we self-identify in the preamble to the Constitution, are more polarized than ever in these ostensibly United States. When it is misinformation that fosters this polarization, all eyes immediately turn to social media. Research shows that Twitter, Facebook and other platforms may widen social gaps, not by creating echo chambers but by motivating users to prove commitment to identities, causes and political parties.
So what can we do? Giving in to pressures to exclude outsiders and prove in-group bona fides is a natural impulse. How then can social media users avoid falling prey to misinformation manipulators whose mission of chaos, confusion and lies threatens the stability of our nation’s elections and our democracy? This question has come forth in sharp relief as voters listen to the spate of accusations of malfeasance and misbehavior leading up to next month’s midterms.
A surprising data point in the 2016 election data was that older people spread misinformation [more than] young people [do]. Older people are more polarized and more committed to identities, and often they arguably are not as savvy on social media as young people, who have been using it a lot. Older people vote at about twice the rate of young people in midterms.It’s a combination of things. In structural terms, the U.S.
It's not all the leaders who are sources of the misinformation. Trump was retweeting conspiracy theories and misinformation from his followers, and he would amplify it if it was favorable to him. Conspiracy theorists are often creative in generating stories, and that trickles up and gets amplified by elites. There is definitely an ecosystem and vicious cycles, where the more [misinformation is] shared, the more incentive for people to share and get monetized, get invited onto Fox News.
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