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https://theconversation.com/misinformation-is-rife-and-causing-deeper-polarisation-heres-how-social-media-users-can-help-curb-it-210189>
"Many Australians believe the nation is more politically polarised and divided
today than in the past. It’s a divide that has long plagued the United States,
but new data show it is increasingly eroding nations’ unity, shared goals, and
wellbeing all over the world, including in Australia.
Our research suggests the spread of misinformation on social media is part of
the problem. For example, we showed participants misinformation claiming that
the “Biden administration lost 20 million COVID vaccines”. In fact, the Biden
administration searched for these vaccines because the distribution system
established by the Trump administration failed to track the full route they
travelled. But this didn’t matter: seeing this misinformation made people angry
and polarised their attitudes towards the government.
Surprisingly, responses of anger and polarised attitudes occurred regardless of
whether individuals were supporting or opposing the Biden administration and
its response to COVID. We found similar results when exposing people to
information that may be accurate, but contains extreme partisan viewpoints.
One might assume people would simply dismiss such information as baseless and
avoid engaging with it. But our research has revealed a disconcerting trend:
these misleading narratives can attract even more attention and interaction
than accurate and less extreme information.
Data on the role of misinformation in driving political polarisation remains
scarce. However, our findings might not be surprising given the growing
awareness of misinformation’s pervasive impact on society. As misinformation
continues to shape public debate, the repercussions of a highly polarised
society, including political gridlock and social unrest are increasingly felt.
It is a complex problem that needs a multifaceted solution that includes
changing how we engage with information.
So, what do we need to look out for?"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
