Receptivity to misinformation in the digital age

The proliferation of misinformation in the digital age poses serious challenges to modern societies, which depend on a well-informed public.

A particularly crucial problem is that it is difficult to counteract misperceptions and fact resistant worldviews once they have taken root - and still we know little about why this occurs in the first place, how it can be prevented, and what role the individual´s interaction with the digital world plays.

This research project, which spans four years, will be the first to systematically investigate how an individual´s receptivity to misinformation is shaped through interplay between digital information consumption, psychological characteristics, naturally occuring events, and cutting-edge interventions designe to “vaccinate” people against misinformation on social media within a longitudinal framework.

It will investigate effects on receptivity to three kinds of (neutral and ideological) misinformation: conspiracy theories, pseudo-profound nonsense, and misinformed beliefs.

Self-report, test performance, and behavioral data will be collected online in three waves over the course of two years. National and international experts will be involved.

The analyses will provide a nuanced picture of when, for whom, and for what type of misinformation specific factors and interventions can make a difference.

The project will yield new insights into the psychology of misinformation with significant theoretical and practical implications.