When we talk about fake news, we often think the main problem is the information itself. A false headline, a manipulated photo, an invented story or a video taken out of context. We also sometimes think that people believe fake news because they do not know enough or because they are not careful online.
But the reality is more complicated.
Educated and experienced people can believe false information too. In fact, some of the reasons have little to do with intelligence. They are connected with the way our brain processes information, our emotions and the people around us.
Understanding these mechanisms is an important part of media literacy because checking information starts with understanding how we react to it.
We like information that agrees with us
Imagine that you already believe that a certain food is bad for your health. One day you see an article with the headline: “New study proves this food is dangerous.”
You may be more likely to believe it immediately because it confirms something you already think. You may also be less interested in checking who conducted the study or whether the article represents the results correctly.
This is often called confirmation bias. We naturally pay more attention to information that supports our existing ideas and can be more critical of information that challenges them.
It does not mean that we consciously decide to ignore facts. Most of the time, we do not even notice that we are doing it.
We trust things we have seen before
You see a claim on Facebook. A few days later, someone mentions the same thing in a WhatsApp group. Then you see a short video about it on TikTok. After seeing the same message several times, it can start to feel familiar.
And familiar information can feel more believable.
The problem is that repetition does not make something true. Thousands of people can share the same false claim and many websites can repeat information that originally came from one unreliable source.
This is especially important on social media, where popular content can appear again and again in different formats. We may feel that we have seen “many sources” when in reality we have seen the same story repeated many times.
Emotions make us react faster
Some information makes us stop immediately. A shocking video, a frightening warning or a story that makes us angry can get our attention much faster than a calm explanation.
This is not accidental. Emotional content works very well online because people react to it. They comment, share it with friends and send it to groups. The more people interact with a post, the more visible it can become.
The problem is that strong emotions can also reduce the time we spend checking information. If something makes us very angry, our first thought may be “People need to see this”, not “Where did this information come from?”
This is why our emotional reaction can itself be a useful warning sign. If a post makes you want to share it immediately, waiting for a moment may be a good idea.
Other people influence what we believe
Imagine two posts making the same claim. One has five likes and no comments. The other has 50,000 likes, hundreds of comments and has been shared thousands of times.
Which one feels more trustworthy?
We often use other people’s reactions to help us decide what is important or believable. If many people seem to agree with something, we may feel safer accepting it ourselves.
But popularity is not the same as accuracy. A post can become popular because it is funny, shocking, frightening or controversial. Thousands of shares tell us that the content attracted attention. They do not tell us whether it is true.
The same happens when information comes from friends or family. We may trust it more because we trust the person who sent it, even if that person did not check the original source.
Fake news often gives us simple answers
Real situations are often complicated. There may be different causes, incomplete information and experts who do not completely agree with each other.
A misleading story can be much simpler. It can clearly tell us who is right, who is wrong and who is responsible. This kind of explanation can be attractive because it makes a complicated situation easier to understand.
But simple does not always mean correct. When a story explains a very complex issue with one cause, one person or one dramatic conclusion, it can be useful to stop and look for more context.
Critical thinking also means questioning ourselves
When we teach media literacy, we often concentrate on external things: checking the website, finding the author, comparing sources or verifying a photo. These skills are important, but there is another part of the process.
We also need to check ourselves.
Why did this story immediately seem believable to me? Is it because I know the source is reliable or because the story agrees with what I already think? Am I sharing it because I checked it or because it made me angry? Do I believe the claim because several independent sources confirmed it or simply because I have seen it many times?
These questions are useful for adults as well as young people. Nobody is completely protected from misinformation and nobody can check every piece of information they see online.
Education can help us develop the habit of stopping before reacting. Teachers can use real examples from social media and ask students not only whether a post is true or false, but also why people might believe it and why they might want to share it.
This is one of the ideas behind the work of JUMP on media literacy and the Fake News Busters Erasmus+ project: recognizing misinformation is not only a technical skill. It is also connected with critical thinking and understanding how we interact with information.
The next time a story immediately feels true, perhaps the first question should not only be “Can I trust this source?”
It can also be: “Why do I want to believe it?”
Author: Yefimnko Yevhenii (JUMP staff)