Summary
A new Journal of Marketing study finds that political polarization drives Republicans to spread misinformation to gain partisan advantage, while Democrats do not exhibit this behavior.
Republicans value winning highly and are more likely to share misinformation, even when its truth is questionable.
Six studies, including analyses of fact-checked statements, surveys, and presidential speeches, support these findings.
The spread of misinformation undermines democratic processes, such as increased restrictive voting laws after the 2020 election.
Researchers suggest reducing polarization, investing in fact-checking, and expanding media literacy education to combat misinformation’s impact.
We know.
We’ve known this for a long time.
The question is, what can we do about it. Because clearly what we’re doing isn’t fucking working.
Violence. All of modern American society is fundamentally based on getting large numbers of humans to interact with a minimum of harm based on principles of intellectual honesty and a (theoretical) support of civil rights. When someone fundamentally rejects both concepts there is one inevitable conclusion and the only question is how one sided it will be.