Think Before You Share

The fundamental element that makes the internet different from other kinds of media that came before is the hyperlink, which can take you – or someone else you share a link with – to almost any kind of content imaginable. While this can sometimes be abused,[1] for the most part we enjoy sharing content and sharing it with others; this is almost certainly a large part of the appeal of social networks, which handle the technical aspects of sharing and make it possible for all of us to become broadcasters of content.

Why do people share misinformation?

There are four common reasons why people share false or misleading information online: because they believe it to be true and feel it’s important for others to know about it; because they know it’s false but see it as an effective way of attacking or manipulating others; because they don’t care whether it’s true or false but find it entertaining; and because they know it’s false and want to warn others about it.[2]

Social media doesn't only make sharing easier, but actively encourages it, as well. This is partly because of the nature of human relationships and communities. As social animals, we respond strongly to other people's approval and disapproval, and sharing content is a good way to do either. This is most likely why posts that are morally or emotionally charged spread more widely on social media[3] - strong emotions evoke strong reactions. As Molly Crockett, a professor of psychology at Yale University, puts it, “if you punish somebody for violating a norm, that makes you seem more trustworthy to others, so you can broadcast your moral character by expressing outrage and punishing social norm violations... people believe that they are spreading good by expressing outrage – that it comes from a place of morality and righteousness."[4]

There's more at work than just human nature, though. Since social networks rely on their users to provide content for other users to consume, they’re designed to keep us sharing through features such as Likes, comments, retweets and so on. As a result, Crockett says, these networks can become "an ecosystem that selects for the most outrageous content... where it’s easier than ever before to express outrage.”[5] This is exacerbated by the fact that social networks make it possible to communicate only with people who share our views, which can result in those views gradually becoming more and more extreme and in our becoming more and more resistant to other opinions – and more likely to share false or unreliable information.[6] At the same time, these self-selected networks can also function as "echo chambers" by preventing the message we share from reaching people who don't already agree with them, thereby limiting their value as a way of protesting or changing social values.[7]

[1] Astley, R. (2009). Never Gonna Give You Up [video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ

[2] Perach, R., Joyner, L., Husbands, D., & Buchanan, T. (2023). Why do people share political information and misinformation online? Developing a bottom-up descriptive framework. Social Media+ Society, 9(3), 20563051231192032.

[3] Robertson, C., del Rosario, K., & Van Bavel, J. J. (2024). Inside the Funhouse Mirror Factory: How Social Media Distorts Perceptions of Norms.

[4] Vince, G. (2018). Why Good People Turn Bad Online. Mosaic Science.

[5] Vince, G. (2018). Why Good People Turn Bad Online. Mosaic Science.

[6] Del Vicario, M., et al. (2017) The spreading of misinformation online. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113(3):554–559.

[7] Crockett, M. J. (2017). Moral outrage in the digital age. Nature Human Behaviour, 1(11), 769-771. doi:10.1038/s41562-017-0213-3