Spread of False Information Through Cascades
With the advent of modern technology, information spreads at rates that are simply incomparable to those of the past. With the whole world unlocked by the possession of a phone, laptop, tablet, etc., keeping up with current events and having an influence on international audiences is incredibly easy (compared to the past). “Influencers” are able to connect with people directly and thus spread the latest information, beliefs, and more to their “followers.” These influencers can range from media corporations to individuals on the internet writing on school blogs! However, this interconnectedness doesn’t result in a purely positive impact on the world. The effect that other people’s decisions and beliefs have on others is far from negligible through information cascades. One avenue that we can explore is the spread of misinformation.
Information cascades are when people’s own decisions and information are “overridden’ by others. For example, you find an item on Amazon with an item with few reviews that seems perfect for your search but another similar item that sounds a little different but with thousands of pretty good reviews. There must be a reason why other people found the other item superior, so you purchase that one. You set aside your results and instead go with the popular choice. With news, unreliable sources can lead to similar information cascades to the public. Especially with the current trend of “clickbait,” where titles are exaggerated just to get views and reads, companies are eager to hop onto waves of information, whether it be good or bad and send it out to the consumers. This article further delves into the topic of the spread of false information as information cascades: https://sysomos.com/2016/12/22/impact-social-media-networks-society/.