'Everyone is susceptible to misinformation:' New report looks at how false info spreads online

WASHINGTON - In the age of social media and hyperpartisan politics, what can be done about rampant misinformation?

A new report from the American Psychological Association aims to find out.

"One of the things that we realized is that everyone is susceptible to misinformation," explained Sander van der Linden, a professor of social psychology at the University of Cambridge and the author of Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects our Minds and How to Build Immunity. 

He’s also one of the experts who spent more than a year reviewing scientific literature to help develop the report.

Van der Linden said that among other conclusions, researchers found that people are particularly susceptible to misinformation if the false statements are repeated, or if they’re meant to appeal to emotions, like fear.

"Content that is meant to provoke, that is highly emotionally manipulative, meant to generate fear or outrage is more likely to go viral," van der Linden said.

He added, however, that there are evidence-based ways to counter misinformation. That includes teaching digital literacy; "nudging," or asking people to consider the accuracy of information before sharing it; also debunking or fact checking; and what’s called "prebunking" too.

"If you go out preemptively and you tell people, ‘Look, this is what you need to look out for,’ they become resistant," said van der Linden.

For more information about the research, including the full report, you can click here.

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