Study: False news spreads faster than the truth

[Tortuga]

This was mentioned at our Regional Convention today, so I looked it up.

Study: False news spreads faster than the truth | MIT Sloan

 

“This suggests that false news spreads farther, faster, deeper, and more broadly than the truth because humans, not robots, are more likely to spread it,” the researchers wrote.

[Doug]

1 hour ago, Tortuga said:

 

Study: False news spreads faster than the truth | MIT Sloan

 

“This suggests that false news spreads farther, faster, deeper, and more broadly than the truth because humans, not robots, are more likely to spread it,” the researchers wrote.

 

First question:  Why should I believe what MIT says?    

 

Further questions:  Do robots spread false stories?   Or to they just repeat what the programmer has uploaded?

Do humans spread false stories knowing they're false?   Or believing them to be true?

If the story is salacious enough, it will spread regardless of whether it's false, true or somewhere in between.  For example, when Robin Williams committed suicide, that true story spread faster then greased lightening.  If he had died of natural causes it would still have spread, but nowhere near as frenetically.

 

False news is intended to spread fast.  Humans tend to believe false stories.  At one morning worship, Br Sanderson held up a piece of white copy paper with a black dot in the center.  He asked: "What do you see"?  Yep, a blemish, a flaw, a stain. NOT an almost perfectly clean piece of white paper.  And yet, when seeing the blemish, it was truly there. Not false.

 

On the surface the quote seems to have some societal meaning, but I think their point was made at "This suggests that false news spreads farther, faster, deeper, and more broadly than the truth".  Because false news is likely to be provocative, but true news can spread equally fast, far, deep and broadly.

 

Oh, well, this system hasn't much longer to go.    You had an early RC, eh?

 

[Jwanon]

Very interesting

[Mike047]

We are going to have to be ever more careful about what we hear, read and see - endeavouring to 'make sure of all things' (1Thess 5:21)

[Tami]

My mind went to that scripture in 1 Thess as well Mike! The Thessalonians had to "make sure of" in Bible times but as for us it will be even more important as the GT approaches. Instead of blindly accepting what others say, we need to use our thinking ability to compare what we read or what we hear with what the Bible and Jehovahs organization say