People who are most confident about their ability to discern between fact and fiction are also the most likely to fall victim to misinformation, a US study suggests. Nine out of 10 participants surveyed indicated they were above average in their ability to discern false and legitimate news headlines. When researchers looked at data measuring respondents’ online behaviour, those with inflated perceptions of their abilities more frequently visited websites linked to the spread of false or misleading news. The overconfident participants were also less able to distinguish between true and false claims about current events and reported higher willingness to share false content, especially when it aligned with their political predispositions, the authors found. Factors such as gender also played a key role in the likelihood of overconfidence and, in turn, vulnerability to false news, suggested Lyons.

Source: The Guardian May 31, 2021 19:00 UTC