Title: Biases Make People Vulnerable to Misinformation Spread by Social Media - Scientific American
Headings: Biases Make People Vulnerable to Misinformation Spread by Social Media
Biases Make People Vulnerable to Misinformation Spread by Social Media
Researchers have developed tools to study the cognitive, societal and algorithmic biases that help fake news spread
Bias in the brain
Bias in society
Bias in the machine
Understanding complex vulnerabilities
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Content: This so-called “ filter bubble ” effect may isolate people from diverse perspectives, strengthening confirmation bias. Advertisement
Our own research shows that social media platforms expose users to a less diverse set of sources than do non-social media sites like Wikipedia. Because this is at the level of a whole platform, not of a single user, we call this the homogeneity bias. Another important ingredient of social media is information that is trending on the platform, according to what is getting the most clicks. We call this popularity bias, because we have found that an algorithm designed to promote popular content may negatively affect the overall quality of information on the platform. This also feeds into existing cognitive bias, reinforcing what appears to be popular irrespective of its quality. All these algorithmic biases can be manipulated by social bots, computer programs that interact with humans through social media accounts. Most social bots, like Twitter’s Big Ben, are harmless. However, some conceal their real nature and are used for malicious intents, such as boosting disinformation or falsely creating the appearance of a grassroots movement, also called “astroturfing.” We found evidence of this type of manipulation in the run-up to the 2010 U.S. midterm election.