Is Sensationalist Disinformation More Effective? Three Facilitating Factors at the National, Individual, and Situational Level

Bibliographic Data

ID22011016
AuthorsAnna Staender (0000-0002-7462-1278, University of Zurich, corresponding author), Edda Humprecht (0000-0002-8127-2088, University of Zurich), Frank Esser (0000-0002-1627-1521, University of Zurich), Sophie Morosoli (0000-0002-4651-3819, University of Antwerp), Peter Van Aelst (0000-0002-2548-0309, University of Antwerp)
Year2022
Volume10
Issue6
Pages976-996
Publication date2022-07-03
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueDigital Journalism (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2167-0811 • E-ISSN: 2167-082X
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/21670811.2021.1966315
OpenAlexW3200621256
LanguageEN
Citations received14
References cited57

Throughout the current global health crisis, false and misleading content has proliferated on social media. Previous research indicates that users of social media primarily share information that contains attention-grabbing elements. Because sensationalist elements are prevalent in disinformation, this study examines the role of sensationalism in supporting disinformation. We conducted survey experiments in six countries (N = 7,009), presenting versions of a false claim that differed in their degree of sensationalism. We varied three contextual conditions for disinformation support: whether respondents grew up in a tabloid-oriented national news culture, whether they indicated individual usage preferences for tabloid and alternative media, and how they rated their situational uncertainty during the pandemic. Our results show a weak influence of tabloidized cultures, but people who frequently use tabloid or alternative media are more likely to agree with disinformation. Users who are uncertain about what is true and what is false are also more likely to agree with disinformation, especially when it is presented sensationally. The average user, however, is more likely to agree with disinformation that is presented neutrally. This finding is concerning, as disinformation presented in a sober manner is much harder to detect by those who want to fight the “infodemic.”

Disinformation · False accusation · Internet privacy · Political science · Public relations · Sensationalism · Situational ethics · Social media · Sociology · Computer Science · Hate Speech and Cyberbullying Detection · Law · Misinformation and Its Impacts · Psychology · Social Media and Politics · Social Psychology

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