"It's a story that requires us to look more closely at how our own instincts, emotions, and digital habits shape the spread of information. This story reveals something both sobering and empowering: falsehood moves faster than truth not merely because of the technologies that transmit it, but because of the psychology that receives it. That insight is no longer just the intuition of intelligence officers or behavioral scientists. It is backed by hard data."
"The team examined more than 126,000 stories shared by 3 million people over a ten-year period. Their findings were striking. False news traveled farther, faster, and more deeply than true news. In many cases, falsehood reached its first 1,500 viewers six times faster than factual reporting. The most viral false stories routinely reached between 1,000 and 100,000 people, whereas true stories rarely exceeded a thousand."
A comprehensive analysis of more than 126,000 stories shared by 3 million people over a ten-year period found false news traveled farther, faster, and more deeply than true news. Falsehood often reached its first 1,500 viewers six times faster than factual reporting, and the most viral false stories routinely reached between 1,000 and 100,000 people while true stories rarely exceeded a thousand. Humans, not bots, were the primary drivers of that difference, sharing content that felt novel, surprising, emotionally charged, or identity-affirming. Novelty, emotion, and identity therefore shape attention and sharing, turning individual instincts and digital habits into a national security concern.
Read at The Cipher Brief
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