Age Of Misinformation Research Articles

Teaching Astronomy in the Age of Misinformation

Anyone teaching science is facing a rising tide of online misinformation, and students are often ill-equipped to judge the reliability of what they see online. A project is described to use machine learning to detect and flag misinformation, based on initial training by science undergraduates. The neural networks are 95% reliable when applied to an initial testbed of articles on evolution and climate change. The technology will be released as a web browser extension and eventually as a smartphone app.

Conspiracy Thinking About the 15-Minute City: Something from Nothing?

This paper interrogates the seemingly absurd conspiracies associated with the “15-minute City,” an idea taking hold of urban communities across the globe to bring more amenities, including parks, recreation facilities, and libraries, within a 15-minute walk of where people live. Introduced as a mundane planning initiative to improve livability, eliminate or shorten car trips, and improve health outcomes, the 15-minute City has encountered surprising, yet resolute attack by conspiracy theorists who view it as a concealed leftist tactic to imprison local inhabitants within restrictive neighbourhood boundaries. In exploring the origins of the 15-minute City idea and the emergence of conspiracy theories that surround it, this paper unpacks the complex interplay of social, political, and psychological factors that drive current conspiratorial thinking about ostensibly benign policies and practices. In so doing, it considers the responsibility of leisure scholars in an age of misinformation, alternative facts, and post truth.

Scientific literacy in the age of misinformation

Scientific literacy in the age of misinformation

Loneliness trajectories over three decades are associated with conspiracist worldviews in midlife

In the age of misinformation, conspiracy theories can have far-reaching consequences for individuals and society. Social and emotional experiences throughout the life course, such as loneliness, may be associated with a tendency to hold conspiracist worldviews. Here, we present results from a population-based sample of Norwegians followed for almost three decades, from adolescence into midlife (N = 2215). We examine participants’ life trajectories of loneliness using latent growth curve modeling. We show that people reporting high levels of loneliness in adolescence, and those who experience increasing loneliness over the life course, are more likely to endorse conspiracy worldviews in midlife.

Predictors of social media users’ intention to donate online towards international NGOs in the fake news era

International non-governmental organizations (INGOs) operate worldwide to fulfil important needs and issues faced by global communities, but they are highly dependent on donations. Social media facilitates communication with potential donors but exposes them to fake news. This study examines the effect of a set of predictors of social media users’ intention to donate online to international NGOs, using the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) as a conceptual structure. A self-administered online survey was used to collect data from 1629 potential donors to INGOs, and structural equation modelling with SmartPLS 3.0 was employed for assessing the model. The study reveals that social media usage and INGOs’ brand reputation positively impact the sharing of fake news, perceived risks of online donations, attitude towards online donations, and brand image of INGOs. Communication specialists could utilise these insights to boost online donations towards INGOs in the age of misinformation.

The publication facts label: A public and professional guide for research articles

Key points The expansion of open access entails a responsibility for supporting this public access with a guide to why, in an ‘Age of Misinformation’, research may be trustworthy. Such a guide can also provide a check on predatory journals, a fear of which may be unduly limiting researchers tapping into the expanding global scale of research activity. Journal publishing platforms offer opportunities for automating the gathering and presenting of relevant data for assessing journal adherence to scholarly standards. Industry organizations, such as ORCID, Crossref, and DOAJ, offer trust and verification networks that can be employed to further strengthen scholarly publishing integrity.

Verification Behaviors and Countermeasures in the Age of Misinformation

Across the globe, social media have become dominant channels of communication and news for many citizens. They also provide online spaces where misleading information can exacerbate social cleavages and political differences in societies, which can then lead to deleterious democratic outcomes. Therefore, much work has sought to understand the ways in which the effects of misinformation can be attenuated. This virtual theme collection highlights eight studies that examined the conditions in which individuals would actively verify information as well as the effectiveness of certain countermeasures designed to help individuals discern information veracity.

Transforming Science Education in an Age of Misinformation

Transforming Science Education in an Age of Misinformation

Epistemic Trust in the Age of Misinformation in advance

Epistemic Trust in the Age of Misinformation in advance

Designing Technologies to Support Critical Thinking in an Age of Misinformation

Algorithms increasingly curate the information we see online, prioritizing attention and engagement. By catering to personal preferences, they confirm existing opinions and reinforce cognitive biases. When it comes to polarizing topics such as climate change or abortion rights, the combination of algorithmic information curation and cognitive biases can easily skew our perception and, thus, undermine our critical thinking abilities while creating a thriving ground for misinformation. To curb the spread of misinformation, a research agenda is needed around the interplay between cognitive biases, computing systems, and online platform design. In this article, we synthesize insights from a workshop series, propose a research agenda, and sketch out a blueprint for technologies to support critical thinking through the lens of human–computer interaction and design. We discuss the affordances of online media and how they could prioritize teaching users how to spot misinformation better and conduct themselves in online environments.

Enhancing Trust in Science and Democracy in an Age of Misinformation

Enhancing Trust in Science and Democracy in an Age of Misinformation

Science education in an age of misinformation

AbstractIn this paper, we argue that the current science curricula are failing to educate students to be competent outsiders to science. Historically, science education has rested on two premises. The first is that it is possible for students to acquire sufficient scientific knowledge from K‐12 education to become intellectually independent. That is that science education can produce individuals capable of evaluating scientific evidence and arguments critically for themselves. This belief is what underlies many of the conceptions of scientific literacy and is the basis of the rationale that is used to sustain and justify what is offered in nearly all countries across the globe. The second is the belief that the science that students will encounter will have been filtered such that it can be trusted. Nothing today could be further from the truth. Today, misinformation abounds and much of it purports to be scientific. Very few conceptions of scientific literacy have considered how students can be prepared to evaluate the claims that abound on social media. Current conceptions of “scientific literacy,” we argue, are failing to articulate the competencies and knowledge required in today's changed context. In what follows, we lay out our arguments for why it is time to rethink the conception of scientific literacy by considering what it requires to be a competent outsider to science. Then drawing on our recent report, we lay out what might be done within science education to address the specific phenomenon of misinformation.

The Worldwide Utilization of Online Information about Dementia from 2004 to 2022: An Infodemiological Study of Google and Wikipedia

With the advent of Infodemics about health conditions, including dementia, nurses can engage in infodemiological studies to inform public health services and policies. This infodemiological study described the worldwide utilization of online information for dementia using Google Trends and Wikipedia page views. It found that the utilization of online information about dementia increased and will further increase using Google in succeeding years. Thus, the Internet is an increasingly important medium for dementia information in this age of misinformation and disinformation. Nurse informaticists can perform national infodemiological studies to inform and contextualize online dementia information. Likewise, public health, geriatric, and mental health nurses can collaborate with their communities and patients to address online disinformation and create culturally-appropriate information about dementia.

A Scoping Review of the Relationship of Big Data Analytics with Context-Based Fake News Detection on Digital Media in Data Age

The objectives of the study were to identify the relationship between big data analytics with context-based news detection on digital media in the data age, to find out the trending approaches to detect fake news on digital media, and to explore the challenges for constructing quality big data to detect misinformation on social media. Scoping review methodology was applied to carry out a content analysis of 42 peer-reviewed research papers published in 10 world-leading digital databases. Findings revealed a strong positive correlation between quality big data analytics and fake news detection on digital media. Additionally, it was found that artificial intelligence, fact-checking sites, neural networks, and new media literacy are trending techniques to identify correct information in the age of misinformation. Moreover, results manifested that hidden agenda, the volume of fake information on digital media, massive unstructured data, the fast spread of fake news on digital media, and fake user accounts are prevalent challenges to construct authentic big data for detecting false online information on digital media platforms. Theoretically, the study has added valuable literature to the existing body of knowledge by exploring the relationship between big data analytics and context-based fake news on digital media in the data age. This intellectual piece also contributes socially by offering practical recommendations to control the cancer of fake news in society for stopping horrific perils; hence, it has a societal impact. Current research has practical applications for generators of digital media applications, policy-makers, decision-takers, government representatives, civil societies, higher education bodies, media workforce, educationists, and all other stakeholders. Recommendations offered in the paper are a roadmap for framing impactful policies to stay away from the harms of fake digital news.

A Health Crisis in the Age of Misinformation: How Social Media and Mass Media Influenced Misperceptions about COVID-19 and Compliance Behavior

ABSTRACT The media are important information disseminators in society. Particularly in uncertain times, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, citizens are very “media dependent.” The way in which people are informed about the coronavirus heavily depends on the type of media they use. Especially on social media, the share of misinformation is considerable, which might impact the way in which people comply with preventive measures. Our study investigates how media use affects misperceptions about the coronavirus and whether this influences important behavioral determinants as well as compliance behavior itself. The results of a unique 5-wave panel survey (N = 1,741) conducted between April 2020 and October 2020 show that the use of mass media reduces misperceptions. The same was found for Twitter users, whereas Facebook and Instagram users have more misperceptions about the coronavirus. Misperceptions negatively influence the perceived severity, susceptibility and efficacy of preventive measures taken by governments, which may ultimately result in decreased compliance. Our findings underline the important role of media consumption and misperceptions in shaping citizens’ beliefs and behavior regarding COVID-19. They re-emphasize the importance of mass media, such as newspapers, television broadcasts or reliable news websites, to inform the public about current affairs. They also imply that platform media might be more heterogeneous in their effects than mass media.

COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy during the Perinatal Period: Understanding Psychological and Cultural Factors to Improve Care and Address Racial/Ethnic Health Inequities.

COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy during the Perinatal Period: Understanding Psychological and Cultural Factors to Improve Care and Address Racial/Ethnic Health Inequities.

The translator versus the critic: A flawed dichotomy in the age of misinformation.

The digital age creates new challenges for journalists and science communicators that threaten to undermine their shared goals of providing trustworthy content to audiences. To tackle 21st Century problems such as misinformation, falls in public trust and the diversity of online sources, the traditional models of journalism and sci-comm need to adapt, expanding their approaches and ethics to a new information environment.

Established Facts in an ‘Age of Misinformation’

Abstract The contemporary significance of the doctrine of judicial notice has been overlooked. As a means of proving fact without hearing evidence, judicial notice has remained relevant vis-à-vis international criminal justice’s crucial objective of trial expediency. However, today’s fragmented information landscape demands a revision of the doctrine’s traditional understanding. This article presents a legal expressivist reading of the key judicial notice decision in Karemera and explores the epistemic potential of judicial notice in an ‘age of misinformation’. It argues that the act of establishing facts of ‘common knowledge’ inevitably elicits dialogue between international criminal tribunals and their relevant audiences. Accordingly, judicial notice is cautiously presented as a promising legal principle that, beyond judicial economy and factual uniformity, may serve a third policy consideration related to broader goals of international criminal justice.

Information in the age of misinformation

Information in the age of misinformation

Review by "Literacy and pedagogy in an age of misinformation and disinformation," Edited by Tara Lockhart, Brenda Glascott, Chris Warnick, Juli Parrish, and Justin Lewis; Lockhart, T., Glascott, B., Warnick, C., Parrish, J., & Lewis, J. (Eds.) (2021). Parlor Press

Literacy and Pedagogy in an Age of Misinformation And Disinformation (2021) joins ongoing engagement with the topics of post-truth rhetorics (Carillo, 2018; McComiskey 2017; McIntyre 2018), evolving technologies in composition (Laquintano and Vee, 2017; Craig, 2017), and literacies pedagogies for our current moment (Colton and Holmes, 2018; Vee, 2017). Stemming from renewed interest in fake news after the 2016 election, the effects of the Trump presidency and its impacts in literacy education are represented throughout. This collection of 18 essays edited by Literacy in Composition (LiCS) journal editors Tara Lockhart, Brenda Glascott, Chris Warnick, Juli Parrish, and Justin Lewis continues the work of their 2017 special issue, "Literacy, Democracy, and Fake News." By bringing together "a range of perspectives---from literacy professionals in higher education, K-12, journalism, information technology, and other fields" (p. 2), the collection models a central condition for teaching within this context: to combat misinformation and disinformation, it is necessary to take a collaborative, interdisciplinary approach that expands outside of academic settings and brings together a wide range of expertise. Supporting this goal, the collection features six interviews moderated by Tara Lockhart. Each interview engages with a professional and/or educational staff, including social media strategists/curators/editors and curriculum/program coordinators, to explore how misinformation and disinformation is affecting all of us. Thus, Literacy and Pedagogy in an Age Of Misinformation and Disinformation "creates a polyphonous interrogation" (p. 6) to open up spaces and "opportunities for different kinds of literacy workers to hear and learn from each other---a networked approach that echoes the patterns of information ecologies themselves" (p. 6). Readers are invited to engage with the collection through "four essential threats that emerge most urgently from the collection's contributions" (p. 8). These include: 1) keywords and definitions; 2) contextualized praxis and pedagogy; 3) rhetorical analysis; and 4) "citizenship and civic literacies" (p. 13) based on people's different positionalities relating to misinformation and disinformation---as students, professors, journalists, social media specialists, etc. However, as readers will find, other organic pathways emerge based on format (curricular/course design, interviews, etc.) and context (higher education, K-12, online environments, etc.). Ultimately, it is within this complex web that we find a sustained engagement with practical and tangible strategies, pedagogies, and processes to think critically about how we combat misinformation and disinformation inside and outside of the classroom.