Online misinformation about climate change

Dados Bibliográficos

ID12929601
AutoresKathie M d'I Treen (0000-0003-1321-131X, University of Exeter, autor correspondente), H Williams (0000-0002-5927-3367, University of Exeter), Saffron O''Neill (0000-0002-9062-6247, University of Exeter)
Ano2020
Volume11
Fascículo5
Data de publicação2020-06-18
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoWiley Interdisciplinary Reviews Climate Change (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 1757-7780 • E-ISSN: 1757-7799
EditoraWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/wcc.665
OpenAlexW3036619158
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas146
Referências citadas102

Policymakers, scholars, and practitioners have all called attention to the issue of misinformation in the climate change debate. But what is climate change misinformation, who is involved, how does it spread, why does it matter, and what can be done about it? Climate change misinformation is closely linked to climate change skepticism, denial, and contrarianism. A network of actors are involved in financing, producing, and amplifying misinformation. Once in the public domain, characteristics of online social networks, such as homophily, polarization, and echo chambers—characteristics also found in climate change debate—provide fertile ground for misinformation to spread. Underlying belief systems and social norms, as well as psychological heuristics such as confirmation bias, are further factors which contribute to the spread of misinformation. A variety of ways to understand and address misinformation, from a diversity of disciplines, are discussed. These include educational, technological, regulatory, and psychological‐based approaches. No single approach addresses all concerns about misinformation, and all have limitations, necessitating an interdisciplinary approach to tackle this multifaceted issue. Key research gaps include understanding the diffusion of climate change misinformation on social media, and examining whether misinformation extends to climate alarmism, as well as climate denial. This article explores the concepts of misinformation and disinformation and defines disinformation to be a subset of misinformation. A diversity of disciplinary and interdisciplinary literature is reviewed to fully interrogate the concept of misinformation—and within this, disinformation—particularly as it pertains to climate change. This article is categorized under: Perceptions, Behavior, and Communication of Climate Change > Communication

Climate change · Credibility · Disinformation · Epistemology · Global warming · Internet privacy · Misinformation · Political science · Public relations · Scientific consensus · Skepticism · Social media · Sociology · Climate Change Communication and Perception · Computer Science · Law · Misinformation and Its Impacts · Psychology · Social Media and Politics · Social Psychology · Ecology