Misinformation Roundup: Effects on Policy, New Research, + New Ways to Fight It

It’s time for another misinformation roundup, where Content Science provides you with up-to-date stories about misinformation impact as well as about how and why it proliferates. In this edition, we’re focusing on

• Misinformation in policy and politics.
• Research on misinformation, emotion, and social media.
• Developments in fighting misinformation. 

Here’s our pick of the most salient developments.

Misinformation in Policy and Politics

The ties between political polarization and misinformation are becoming clearer, and Americans want more guardrails online.

• You Have Been Blocked: Exploring the psychological, personality, and cognitive traits of blocking sources of misinformation on social media
  A study of the relationships between social media news use, the fear of missing out (FOMO), and how likely people are to block sources of misinformation
• Most Americans Favor Restrictions on False Information, Violent Content Online
  A Pew Research Center survey found the number of Americans who say they want tech companies and the U.S. government to moderate and regulate online content is going up
• Chilling Legislation: Tracking the impact of “fake news” laws on press freedom internationally
  Analysis showing that laws aimed at controlling misinformation amplify the potential for journalistic suppression
• Who Knowingly Shares False Political Information Online?
  Harvard Kennedy School survey examined psychological, political, and social characteristics of people who intentionally share misinformation
  
• How do Individual and Societal Factors Shape News Authentication?
  Research showing a relationship between polarization of a society and how likely adults are to proactively verify news reports

Misinformation, Emotion, and Social Media

Misinformation research is growing, and the role of emotion in misinformation’s spread is becoming clearer.

• Mapping the Terrain of Social Media Misinformation
  Study showing that misinformation research has grown significantly in the last 5 years, driven primarily by American and Chinese researchers
• Emotion Detection for Misinformation
  Review of the relationships between anger, sadness, anxiety, and other emotions in identifying misinformation
  
• Misinformation Exploits Outrage to Spread Online
  Research on the role of hyperbole and inaccuracy in how far and fast misinformation spreads

Fighting Misinformation About Health and More

Scientists are coordinating to combat health misinformation, and new research explores how LLMs (large language models) can help detect misinformation efficiently.

• The Public Health Communicators Guide to Misinformation
  New tool developed by the Public Health Communications Collaborative

• Scientists Mobilize to Counter Vaccine Misinformation
  Former FDA commissioner and former National Academy of Medicine president join the Vaccine Integrity Project

• Unmasking Digital Falsehoods: A Comparative Analysis of LLM-Based Misinformation Detection Strategies
  Study evaluating the role and effectiveness of using LLMs to find misinformation

• You Won’t Believe This
  University of Cambridge researcher studies how to keep people from believing lies

• Using Psychological Science to Understand and Fight Health Misinformation
  American Psychological Association’s consensus statement offers 8 recommendations for identifying and responding to misinformation in health care

We’ll continue periodic roundups to showcase the latest developments in misinformation.