What's so bad about misinformation

Bibliographic Data

ID21335634
AuthorsJeroen De Ridder (0000-0001-6774-5478, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume67
Issue9
Pages2956-2978
Publication date2024-10-20
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInquiry (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0020-174X • E-ISSN: 1502-3923
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/0020174x.2021.2002187
OpenAlexW3212568421
LanguageEN
Citations received12
References cited54

Misinformation in various guises has become a significant concern in contemporary society and it has been implicated in several high-impact political events over the past years, including Brexit, the 2016 American elections, and bungled policy responses to the Covid-19 pandemic in some countries. In this paper, I draw on resources from contemporary social epistemology to clarify why and how misinformation is epistemically bad. I argue that its negative effects extend far beyond the obvious ones of duping individuals with false or misleading beliefs. Misinformation has systemic effects on our information environments, making all of us worse off, including the epistemically vigilant. This paper does not offer measures or policies to fight misinformation, but aims to contribute to the prior goal of better understanding what's bad about misinformation. In doing so, it lays the groundwork for ameliorative projects

Brexit · Business · Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) · Disinformation · Economics · Epistemology · Misinformation · Pandemic · Political science · Politics · Positive economics · Public relations · Social media · Epistemology, Ethics, and Metaphysics · Law · Medicine · Misinformation and Its Impacts · Philosophy · Psychology · Social Media and Politics

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access