Some have suggested that because older individuals tend to have fewer weak social ties, they may overestimate the trustworthiness of information shared by those in their social network (because the information is coming from close friends and family).

Smaller Social Networks and Trust in Fake News

Older adults tend to have greater interpersonal trust overall and have more difficulty detecting deception.

Doubt Deficits in Old Age

Although older adults tend to be more trusting in general, when they deem a person dishonest this character assessment is often persistent. Character labels such as this also tend to be more persuasive to older adults than labeling specific information as incorrect.

Older adults' use of character judgments to determine trustworthiness 

Older adults' goals when using technology tend to focus on interpersonal connection more than the pursuit of knowledge. Therefore older adults tend to prioritize interpersonal goals over accuracy when using social media.

Older Adults' Goals when Using Social Media

Older adults tend to have greater interpersonal trust and smaller social groups on average. These factors may put them at greater risk to overestimate the trustworthiness of a source.

Pepperdine University

- Cognitive declines
- Social changes
- Digital illiteracy

Theories for Why Older Adults Engage with More Fake News

Brashier, N. M., & Schacter, D. L. (2020). Aging in an Era of Fake News. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 29(3), 316–323. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721420915872

Aging in an Era of Fake News

Some have suggested that older adults engage with more fake news due to decreased episodic memory and abstract reasoning as well as source memory deficits.
However, older adults also have some strengths that may make them resistant to the illusory truth effect and better at differentiating real and fake news headlines.

The Cognitive Decline Theory for Increased Engagement with Fake News Later in Life

The Social Change Theory for Increased Engagement with Fake News Later in Life

Older adults tend to be less familiar with online spaces which may make them more susceptible to clickbait and internet hoaxes and make it more difficult for them to recognize manipulated images or sponsored content.

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