Psychology Susceptible to Fake News

Question :

Why are we susceptible to fake news? Use social psychological theories to explain this

Answer :

It is also called hoax news, false news, alternative facts, pseudo-news or junk news. The digitalized news keeps bringing back and increasing the utilization of fake news also known as yellow journalism. The purpose of fake news involves the generation of ad revenues through discrediting a company, political movement or public figure or web traffic. This widespread utilization of this term is one example of politics as well. This makes it difficult for specifying the concept's [precise definition.  Great amounts of researches got conducted on this generalized topic of fake news recently. In this assignment, critical appraisal is taking place, discussing upon the ways fake news having susceptibility because of political attitudes, cognition and social media. These are discussed considering theoretical frameworks from psychology along with research studies and arguments for critical analysis.  

With this theory basis, people may tend upon rating news items involving content opposing their attitudes as fake news politically. This occurs for reducing or preventing dissonances of potential. Furthermore, depending upon thoughts of coherent accounts, one might keep assuming upon information having coherence. This occurs with one's beliefs and knowledge getting processed fluently further, therefore perceived as accurate further. Few authors similarly keep arguing upon individuals having the likeliness in deciding of information getting accurately perceived like news depending upon the partisanship or existing values (Brashier & Schacter, 2020). When taking all together, ti indicated upon individuals tending in overrating the items of news accuracy having consistency with their attitudes politically. Also, they keep underrating the items of news accuracy having inconsistency with their attitudes politically.

On this topic, empirical work operationalizes mostly upon political attitudes since the participants' opinion on Donald Trump vs. Hillary Clinton. One study, for instance, had investigated fake news between others finding upon further individuals being pro-republican/Trump. They further rated the headlines of fake news with content negatively regarding Hillary Clinton being accurate (Pennycook & Rand, 2019). Those further participants of democrat/Clinton were found in further rating the headlines of fake news with content negatively regarding Trump being accurate. The other research results reported perceived accuracy effects of the headlines of true and fake news. They kept fitting way closely with their political attitudes and beliefs compared with non-fitting ones. In another study, this effect got revealed both after and before the deliberation period. Most importantly, however, the study revealed after deliberation time, participants tended to correct the response in comparison with quicker responses. This correlation becomes independent regarding this news headline content having consistency with the political attitudes or not. This keeps contradicting the notions of motivation, even conscious perhaps, reasoning upon news headline judgements depending upon one’s attitudes politically. Because, if that’s the case, then further timing in considering information would result in further overrating of the items of news accuracy (Pennycook & Rand, 2020). This would keep having consistency with political attitude.                 

With analytical thinking having conscious and control, intuitive thinking keeps reflecting on an unconscious and automatic thinking style (Van Bavel et al., 2020). For susceptibility in falling in fake news with motivated reasoning having importance, deliberation and analytical thinking must be related positively. This occurs with relation in falling on fake news lining with the person's attitude politically. However, this does not seem in being the case.  

Further specifically, analytical thinking has negative associations with accuracy perceived on fake news headlines. This took place in many studies throughout distinct samples in numbers. Significantly, analytical thinking seems upon having a slight positive relation only with true news' accuracy perceived. Still, it repetitively had positive associations with discerning fake and real news (Wang et al., 2019). Therefore, thinking analytically instead of relying upon intuition becomes this resilient factor against getting trapped among fake news. This occurs regardless of the political attitude consistencies. However, analytical thinking is unable to have associations with the scepticism towards news overall.

There are also findings where analytical thinking, measured through CRT keeps having negative relations with accuracies perceived regarding news headlines implausibly. But this gets positive relations with the accuracies perceived regarding news headlines plausibly. One of the studies mention upon fake news getting rated as implausible further when compared with the news headlines of truth (Pereira & Van Bavel, 2018). Therefore, this may explain the negative association revealed among accuracy perceived regarding fake news headlines and analytical thinking. This, however, keeps raising this question about those things to happen once items of fake news become plausible highly. The question arrives whether these people thinking analytically be tending upon believing fake news more compared to the ones who don't.            

This theory even discusses two comparison kinds, downward and upward comparisons namely. According to Francia (2019), has postulated upon that person being motivated highly, tending towards engaging in upward comparisons. This refers to comparing himself with those much better than him. The motivations of self-enhancement and self-evaluation get represented here. Contrastingly, the unmotivated individual would keep resorting upon downward comparisons where he considers himself being the greatest. The social comparison behaviours got observations for manifesting in utilizing social media as well.      

RCT (rational choice theory)- This theory has its roots economically but is even utilized by sociology scientists for analysing human behaviours. This theory keeps postulating upon people making choices tending towards maximizing their utility personally. These choices are possible for their greatest interests. Also, they become the outcome of well-thoughts through preferences and alternatives (Ştefăniţă, 2018). This theory even implies those choices formed in specified contexts. Those might keep changing with the belief or situation changes. In pure context economically, this theory keeps considering rationalized choices becoming the results form analysis of benefits and costs with every preference having an association. The rational choice theory got argued upon manifesting in social media utilization as well as involving these consumers deciding consciously upon continuing ion utilizing social media. The positive outcomes keep getting anticipated instead of discontinuance regarding usage accounting for fatigue towards social media.

SDT (self-determination theory)- For assessing the human personality and motivation, this keeps providing the framework for it. It keeps positing upon individuals being active organisms seeking in continuously evolving for making coherent senses towards self. Still, these inclinations upon growth naturally do not automatically operate requiring socialized support for catalyzing this. From this theory, the obvious deduction involves the cultural factors and social context having capabilities in impeding the psychological growth tendencies also. This also involves active engagement and initiative. This might impact a person's performance quality and wellbeing detrimentally (Mihailidis & Viotty, 2017). Conversely, the conditions supporting relatedness, competence and autonomy would enhance diligence, creativity and performance. Within social media contexts, this theory might keep explaining the social media manifestations and FOMO (fear of missing out) prominently. The needs in relating along with belongingness senses get argued in being the key motivation for FoMO drives.