Political Psychology in the Digital (mis)Information age: A Model of News Belief and Sharing

The spread of misinformation, including fake news, propaganda, and conspiracy theories, represents a serious threat to society, as it has the potential to alter beliefs, behavior, and policy. Research is beginning to disentangle how and why misinformation is spread and identify processes that contribute to this social problem. We propose an integrative model to understand the social, political, and cognitive psychology risk factors that underlie the spread of misinformation and highlight strategies that might be effective in mitigating this problem. However, the spread of misinformation is a rapidly growing and evolving problem; thus scholars need to identify and test novel solutions, and work with policy makers to evaluate and deploy these solutions. Hence, we provide a roadmap for future research to identify where scholars should invest their energy in order to have the greatest overall impact.

Automated summary

The spread of misinformation poses a significant threat to society, with research beginning to unravel how and why it spreads. An integrative model is proposed to understand the risk factors underlying misinformation spread, and effective strategies are highlighted to mitigate this problem. Collaboration between scholars and policymakers is crucial to develop novel solutions in addressing the rapidly growing issue of misinformation.