People are more likely to believe misinformation that favors their political opinions or worldviews while rejecting misinformation that challenges them. Reasoning for this primarily stems from two perspectives: cognitive and emotional. 

Reasons for Endorsing Political Misinformation

This study examines whether political misinformation and misconceptions can be corrected.

Persistence of Political Misinformation

True or misinformation which is spread with the aim of devaluing opposing viewpoints (Tucker et al., 2018)

Propaganda

Misleading, false, or incomplete information concerning or perpetuated by political entities.

Arizona State University

- Health Misinformation
- Political Misinformation
- Fake News
- Disinformation
- Misinformation in Online Communities

Types of Misinformation

False information spread through news reporting to intentionally mislead and deceive the public. Malintent is present on behalf of the person(s) creating the news, but not necessarily on behalf of the person(s) spreading the news.

Fake News

As the term indicates, health misinformation is misinformation related to health. Themes might be viruses, food safety, nutrition and vaccinations (Bode & Vraga, 2018; Chen et al., 2018; Lazer et al., 2018; Lewandowsky et al., 2012; Oh & Lee, 2019). These  misinformation can negatively affect people’s health behaviors (Chou et al., 2018; Oh & Lee, 2019). 

Health misinformation

Political Misinformation

Disinformation is information that is (verifiably) false or misleading that is purposefully spread to misinform the public. 

Disinformation 

Synthetic media is media generated by technology such as AI algorithms. There are fears that it could be used to supercharge fake news, spread misinformation and automate creative jobs

Synthetic Media

Duplicate entries in online communities can amplify misinformation by creating the impression that inaccurate information is more widely accepted or verified than it actually is. When multiple copies of inaccurate information are posted, it can give the false impression that the information is reliable or trustworthy, potentially leading to its rapid spread throughout the community.

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