ABSTRACT

Easy access to equipment, software, and platforms to create, distribute, and provide access to fake news stories has exacerbated the problem of fake news, making for a large number of highly biased sources that are reaching the mainstream through social networks. The economics of emotion theory proposes that fake news headlines are created to evoke emotional responses in readers that will cause them to interact with the article in a way that allows the creator to make a profit (through clicking on the link to the full article, by sharing the article, etc.). This mixed methods study investigates the process by which individuals experience discrete emotional reactions to fake news headlines, and how these emotions contribute to the perpetuation of fake news through sharing behaviors. U.S. participants (n=879 across two waves) viewed one of eight false news headlines and reported their emotional reactions, belief in the headline, and potential sharing behaviors. In general, participants were more likely to believe headlines that aligned with their existing beliefs (e.g., liberals were more likely to believe negative news about conservatives), reacted with more negative emotions to headlines that attacked their party, and were more likely to report intentions to suppress (e.g., post a link to a fact check) fake news that attacked their own party. Emotional reactivity of participants was associated with response behavior intentions such that participants who reported high levels of emotions were more likely to take actions that would spread or suppress the fake news, participants who reported low levels of emotions were more likely to ignore or disengage from the spread of false news, and participants who reported high levels of negative emotions and low levels of positive emotions were more likely to suppress the spread of fake news and less likely to contribute to the spread of fake news. Our findings are synthesized into a process model that explains how discrete emotions and beliefs influence sharing behaviors. Implications for mitigating the spread of fake news are discussed in terms of this model.

摘要

轻松访问设备、软件和平台来创建、分发和提供虚假新闻故事的访问权限加剧了虚假新闻的问题，从而导致大量高度偏见的来源通过社交网络进入主流。情感经济学理论提出，创建假新闻标题是为了唤起读者的情感反应，使他们以一种允许创作者获利​​的方式与文章互动（通过点击全文链接，通过分享文章等）。这项混合方法研究调查了个人对假新闻标题经历离散情绪反应的过程，以及这些情绪如何通过分享行为促进假新闻的延续。我们 参与者（n=879 跨越两波）查看了八个虚假新闻标题中的一个，并报告了他们的情绪反应、对标题的信念和潜在的分享行为。一般来说，参与者更有可能相信与他们现有信念一致的头条新闻（例如，自由主义者更有可能相信关于保守派的负面消息），对攻击他们政党的头条新闻反应更多负面情绪，并且更有可能报告意图压制（例如，发布指向事实核查的链接）攻击自己政党的假新闻。参与者的情绪反应与反应行为意图相关，因此报告高情绪的参与者更有可能采取传播或压制假新闻的行动，报告低情绪水平的参与者更有可能忽视或脱离虚假新闻的传播，报告高水平负面情绪和低水平积极情绪的参与者更有可能抑制虚假新闻的传播，不太可能助长假新闻的传播。我们的发现被综合成一个过程模型，该模型解释了离散的情绪和信念如何影响共享行为。根据该模型讨论了减轻假新闻传播的影响。我们的发现被综合成一个过程模型，该模型解释了离散的情绪和信念如何影响共享行为。根据该模型讨论了减轻假新闻传播的影响。我们的发现被综合成一个过程模型，该模型解释了离散的情绪和信念如何影响共享行为。根据该模型讨论了减轻假新闻传播的影响。