STUDY FOUND BELIEF IN MISINFORMATION DROPPED TAKING 6 WEEKS OFF OF FACEBOOK
Misinformation has become a metastasized cancer on everyone’s shared reality to a degree never before seen. It’s hard to argue the point, because now misinformation can instantly cross any border and splash its way onto anyone’s consciousness- and that means individuals, groups, and communities entire. And one of the most efficient delivery systems for misinformation in the United States has been, and remains, Facebook. So it’s no surprise to learn that just like any addiction, taking 6 weeks off of Facebook does a body good, in this case reducing the level of belief in fake news for a digital teetotaler.
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STUDY LOOKED AT 35,000 PEOPLE WHO USED NO FACEBOOK DURING 2020 ELECTION
The study (not fake news!) was published in PNAS, and was the largest social media test to see how removing exposure to social media positively affected an individual’s ability to avoid believing misinformation. And largest ever specifically means it involved more than 35,000 people who agreed to avoid social media during the 2020 Presidential Election. This large test group avoided Facebook specifically, though many of them still used Instagram. And this study showed that avoiding Facebook specifically greatly reduced many people’s susceptibility to misinformation.
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STUDY ALSO FOUND LESS BELIEF IN MISINFORMATION WAS BAD FOR REPUBLICAN PARTY
But the study also found that not using Facebook at all also reduced the same people’s political engagement, especially in online venues. But here’s where it gets more interesting. The more people avoided Facebook, the less they liked (or believed) Donald Trump. It decreased turnout among Republicans and increased turnout for Democrats. In other words, misinformation specifically helps the Republican Party and hurts Democrats. If we can better control propaganda, our Republic can take that misinformation check to the reality bank.
Here’s hoping for a more reality-based democracy! You can learn more about the study here.
