Reflecting on ethics dampens desire to spread fake news
New studies suggest that asking people to think carefully about ethics reduces their intention to share misinformation on social media
Misinformation spreads not only because some people believe it, but also because other people amplify it on social media despite not believing it. New research led by Daniel Effron, Professor of Organisational Behaviour at London Business School, suggests a solution. Encouraging users to pause and consider the ethical implications of sharing content makes them less willing to intentionally share “fake news.”
In five experiments, 2,509 US and UK social-media users were asked how willing they would be to share each of 62 fake news headlines about business organisations, COVID-19 and US politics. The headlines, which had actually circulated on social media, were labelled false, and some users were asked to reflect on the ethical implications of sharing each headline while other users were not. The key findings were:
Considering ethics reduced intentions to share fake news. Users were less willing to share fake news after reflecting on its ethical implications.
This was especially true for fake news that aligned with users’ politics. People tend to be more likely to intentionally share fake news if it supports their political beliefs. Encouraging people to reflect on the ethics of news sharing reduced this tendency.
Real-news sharing was not reduced. Attempts to reduce fake-news sharing should not reduce all news sharing. If anything, reflecting on the ethics of sharing increased real-news sharing.
"When people consider the ethical implications of sharing fake news, they tend to conclude that it’s ethically wrong, which makes them reluctant to share it. The problem is that when people decide whether to share something on social media, they tend not to think carefully about ethics.
“We need new tools to fight the ‘infodemic’ of misinformation. Current approaches that teach people to distinguish fact from fiction are not enough because people sometimes share misinformation intentionally. Our research suggests a promising new approach: encouraging people to consult their moral compass before deciding what content to share," says Professor Effron.
The paper(“Moral Deliberation Reduces People’s Intentions to Share Headlines They Recognize as “Fake News”)was co-authored with Judy Qiu, Assistant Professor of Management at ESSEC Business School, and Deborah Shulman, Senior Research Associate at School of Psychology, University of East Anglia.