Science denial is not new, but researchers have learned a lot about it. Here’s why it exists, how everyone is susceptible to it in one way or another and steps to take to overcome it.
These psychological tendencies explain why an onslaught of facts won’t necessarily change anyone’s mind.
Francesco Carta fotografo/Moment via Getty Images
Cognitive shortcuts help you efficiently move through a complicated world. But they come with an unwelcome side effect: Facts aren’t necessarily enough to change your mind.
Research shows Google News results often prioritise mainstream media over smaller news businesses. It’s a double-edged sword. While local outlets suffer, it’s actually better for readers.
President Trump’s campaign rally in Tulsa, Okla. had thousands of empty seats, thanks at least in part to the actions of teenagers who mobilized on the social media platform TikTok.
AP Photo/Evan Vucci
Diversity is an enormously appealing and powerful concept, yet it can also distract us from the focus we need to face today’s pressing social issues. So what’s the way forward?
People who share potential misinformation on Twitter (in purple) rarely get to see corrections or fact-checking (in orange).
Shao et al.
Information on social media can be misleading because of biases in three places – the brain, society and algorithms. Scholars are developing ways to identify and display the effects of these biases.
Harvesting data from Facebook’s users is within the rules, I should know, I’ve done this kind of research myself. But the latest scandal may make it harder for us to get any useful data.
What these people are seeing isn’t real – but they might think it is.
AP Photo/Francisco Seco
As the internet-connected world reels from revelations about personalized manipulation based on Facebook data, a scholar of virtual reality warns there’s an even bigger crisis of trust on the horizon.
There are widespread fears that so-called echo chambers and filter bubbles are leading to political polarization that poses a danger to democracy. But are the fears unfounded?
(Melvin Sokolsky/1963 via Creative Commons)
Today’s communications platforms and the algorithms that power them have led to a radical change in how public discourse is conducted and public opinion formed.
Some of the Facebook and Instagram ads used in 2016 election released by members of the U.S. House Intelligence committee.
AP Photo/Jon Elswick
Gordon Hull, University of North Carolina – Charlotte
A scholar asks whether democracy itself is at risk in a world where social media is creating deeply polarized groups of individuals who tend to believe everything they hear.
Don’t panic: An international survey finds concerns about fake news are overblown.
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Concerns over filter bubbles and fake news are often based on anecdotal evidence. There is relatively little systematic research on the topic; a new survey finds widespread fears are unwarranted.
Tired of seeing the same thing on Twitter?
Shutterstock
Twitter is made up of numerous communities clustered around all manner of topics. If all you see is the same, it’s time to break out of your filter bubble.
Scrutinising the output of a national theatre at a time of rising nationalism is a worthwhile activity, but it needs either radical intention or emotional insight.
Professor of Management & Organizations; Professor of Environment & Sustainability; Professor of Sustainable Enterprise at the Ross School of Business and School of Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan