People with problematic social media use are more prone to believe in misinformation

Excessive use of social media indicates a greater tendency to believe and share fake news, according to a new study. Researchers found that “individuals who experience the most distress and impairment in daily functioning from social media use are also the most susceptible to false information posted on social media.”

Problematic social media use measures a person’s dependence on social media and reflects a potential behavioral addiction disorder, says Dar Meshi, a researcher at Michigan State University and co-author of the article. This problematic use includes a variety of behaviors: constant preoccupation with social media, mood swings due to their use, a need for rewards in the form of likes or comments, real-life conflicts, or withdrawal symptoms.

This behavior indicates a greater likelihood of believing fake news is true, engaging with news posts, both real and fake, and being more inclined to click on fake news. The reason for this is unclear, however, according to Meshi: “Our theory is that this is due to impulsivity, which tends to be higher in people with problematic social media use, but we didn’t address this aspect in the experiment.”

The authors conducted this online experiment with 189 people between the ages of 18 and 26. “We did it with young people because they are the ones who show higher levels of problematic social media use,” explains the researcher. They were shown 20 news stories as if they were social media posts, ten of which were real news and ten of which were fake news. They then assessed the participants’ judgment of these posts, including their intention to click, comment, like, and share them. They also measured their overall problematic relationship with social media.

Researchers believe this study is the first to examine how problematic social media use influences beliefs about and relationships with fake news. Medical authorities don’t recognize problematic social media use as a clinical disorder, but Meshi believes it bears similarities to substance abuse and other behavioral addiction disorders.

“People who display problematic social media use may feel unwell if they can’t access it, and may even return to it after trying to quit,” Meshi explains. “This type of behavior has been linked to job loss, poor grades, or mental health problems,” he adds.

Researchers believe that if they were to collaborate with large technology platforms like Meta and Google, which run these networks, they could do more to help this audience. For example, by identifying people who display problematic social media use and adapting their experience to reduce the spread and impact of fake news. “This could be achieved in many ways,” says Meshi. “Platforms could allow people undergoing therapy for excessive social media use to opt for a different type of algorithm,” he explains.

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