Science Has Confirmed How Fake News Spreads Faster Than Truth on Twitter

[Rhiannon12866]

Sorry, you can't blame the bots for this.

A tweet can wreak havoc in a few hundred characters, as demonstrated in April 2013 when someone hacked the Associated Press Twitter account and claimed that explosions at the White House had injured President Barack Obama.

There were no explosions – and Obama was fine – but the Dow Jones average sank by 100 points in two minutes.

Stock markets swiftly recovered once the truth came out. Twitter, however, remained a breeding pool for false information.

Some of Twitter's rumors are true. The discovery of the Higgs boson leaked through Twitter before its official announcement in 2012.

Others, of course, are false and far more pernicious, such as conspiracy theories about the recent high school shooting in Parkland, Florida.

A new study in Science quantifies the spread of Twitter rumors.


Much more: https://www.sciencealert.com/fake-news-twitter-speed-faster-further-factual-news

[TEB]

1. Gullible

My wife’s cousin still believes in all the disinformation she reads about HRC.

[Rhiannon12866]

2. I made the mistake of reading the comments in the local paper on a story about the school walkout

That's happening on Wednesday to remember and honor the Parkland shooting victims. Three schools in the area are supporting the students - while another up North, in an area where I saw Trump lawn signs just before the election, is threatening to suspend any students who walk out.

Then I made the mistake of reading the comments. Half were in support of the students, but the others were so misinformed and ignorant that you can't help but wonder how these people manage to exist. Some of them said they were keeping their kids home from school that day - just to prevent them from participating in a 17-minute exercise to honor fellow students who died. I couldn't help feeling sorry for those kids.

[TEB]

3. That is so twisted

Our middle school is holding a walkout and I told the boys. Participate show solidarity and remember all the children who were murdered or wounded. The principal and the staff their really supporting the kids over this.

You know my youngest brother is a right wing nut. And we do not even agree to disagree on this issue. I shut him down when I said I had to explain to the boys if this ever happens. And if your compromised PLAY DEAD. now I never thought I’d have to tell children that. And it makes me mad disgusted that we even have to make this a issue.

[Rhiannon12866]

4. I imagine the majority of schools are holding walkouts - all over the country

And it's something that the students feel passionate about. The school in my area - where I went for three years - was the first to come out in support of the students and the walk out and the two schools to the South are supporting the students too. It's only the one to the North that is threatening the kids with suspension. I happened to drive up there not long before the election - when I saw all the Trump signs - and I got really lost, but I was too freaked out to stop and ask for directions. I didn't see any Trump signs around here. It's a pretty rural area and not particularly affluent, caters to a lot of summer visitors, so it's the year-round residents that went for Trump. I never expected to see a rash of Trump signs here in New York.

And that's good advice you gave your kids, but who could have imagined we'd be faced with something like this?? When I was in school we got in trouble for things like talking in class. When I was really little I remember some drills - but it was because we were afraid of the Russians!

[Cirque du So-What]

5. It's easier to be novel when you're unconstrained by reality

Let's face it; lots of people prefer to live in a reality of their own construct. They will seek stories which support their preconceived notions, revel in those stories when they find them, and try their damndest to infect as many others as possible with their own particular brand of madness. Twitter and their ilk have provided a means for disseminating disinfo on a scale previously unknown. The closest analogue in pre-digital times was the crazy letter to the editor that occasionally made its way into the paper.

[Rhiannon12866]

6. And people do like what would be considered "sensational" stories, so would be more likely

To pass them on. So it makes sense that they'd go viral. And you're also right that people want to pass on any stories that support what they already believe. And, these days, there are enough crazy RW publications to fill that need.

And the "letter to the editor" is far from dead. I see the craziest things in my local paper every day. When you follow legitimate news, like we try to on DU, it makes it tough not to want to straighten them out, but in the paper they publish names.

[HopeAgain]

7. Its because they feel the need for the emotional response

created by outrageous fake news. Pent up anger, fear, hate in people from other things in their lives can be safely (in an emotional sense) vented at the boogeymen.

[Mustellus]

8. Could they compare that to.....

... the time it takes Truth to lace her boots up?

[Rhiannon12866]

11. I do think it's quicker than that, these days!

But good analogy.

[oberliner]

9. Ironically "Science Alert" uses click-bait-y headlines

And is jam packed with ads.

[Rhiannon12866]

10. I did notice that - And I couldn't help clicking on several

I ended up there after clicking on a DU post - and the rest is history.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

12. Fake news rides on skids greased by Confirmation Bias.

RW and most especially Trumpanzees seek confirmation of their myriad fears and conspiracy theories. They don't look for and overlook any information that contradicts it.

[gulliver]

13. Truth weighs down interestingness.