A New SPIN on Misinformation
We all stretch the truth from time to time.1 The real problem is when our lies spread to thousands of people, assisted by recent technological advancements such as social media or artificial intelligence.2, 3 This has a real impact on the decisions people make—such as who to vote for or whether to get vaccinated.
You’re probably already familiar with this phenomenon—it’s called misinformation: the dissemination of false or misleading information.4, 5, 6
Our latest research at The Decision Lab identified and organized the different types of misinformation into a taxonomy called Sorting Potentially Inaccurate Narratives (SPIN). We hope this tool can help both individuals and organizations combat misinformation to make the best decisions possible.
What is a Misinformation Taxonomy?
A taxonomy is a system of classification based on specific guidelines. In particular, misinformation taxonomies attempt to achieve two things:
- List all the relevant types of misinformation
- Organize misinformation based on criteria
The ultimate goal behind these taxonomies is to guide future interventions to teach participants how to identify and, in turn, combat misinformation.
Most misinformation taxonomies in the past have been tailored to specific fields—such as education or politics—to create solutions that directly address problems within that context.7, 8, 9, 10, 11 In contrast, our goal was for our taxonomy to include as many different types of misinformation out there as possible. This way, we could determine which interventions work in some situations but not others.
References
- Sai, L., Shang, S., Tay, C., Liu, X., Sheng, T., Fu, G., ... & Lee, K. (2021). Theory of mind, executive function, and lying in children: a meta‐analysis. Developmental Science, 24(5), e13096.
- Kaiser, J., & Rauchfleisch, A. (2018). Unite the right? How YouTube’s recommendation algorithm connects the US far-right. D&S Media Manipulation.
- Tufekci, Z. (2018). YouTube, the great radicalizer. The New York Times, 10(3), 2018.Van der Linden, S., Leiserowitz, A., Rosenthal, S., & Maibach, E. (2017). Inoculating the public against misinformation about climate change. Global challenges, 1(2), 1600008.
- Lewandowsky, S., Ecker, U. K., Seifert, C. M., Schwarz, N., & Cook, J. (2012). Misinformation and its correction: Continued influence and successful debiasing. Psychological science in the public interest, 13(3), 106-131.
- Shao, C., Ciampaglia, G. L., Varol, O., Yang, K. C., Flammini, A., & Menczer, F. (2018). The spread of low-credibility content by social bots. Nature communications, 9(1), 1-9.
- Vosoughi, S., Roy, D., & Aral, S. (2018). The spread of true and false news online. science, 359(6380), 1146-1151.
- Kapantai, E., Christopoulou, A., Berberidis, C., & Peristeras, V. (2021). A systematic literature review on disinformation: Toward a unified taxonomical framework. New media & society, 23(5), 1301-1326.
- Kozyreva, A., Lewandowsky, S., & Hertwig, R. (2020). Citizens versus the internet: Confronting digital challenges with cognitive tools. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 21(3), 103-156.
- Molina M, Sundar S, Le T, et al. (2019) “Fake news” is not simply false information: a concept explication and taxonomy of online content. American Behavioral Scientist. Epub ahead of print 14 October. DOI: 10.1177/0002764219878224.
- Rojecki, A., & Meraz, S. (2016). Rumors and factitious informational blends: The role of the web in speculative politics. New Media & Society, 18(1), 25-43.
- Wardle, C., & Derakhshan, H. (2017). Information disorder: Toward an interdisciplinary framework for research and policymaking (Vol. 27, pp. 1-107). Strasbourg: Council of Europe.
- Roozenbeek, J. (2019). Fake news game confers psychological resistance against online misinformation. Palgrave Communications, 5(1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-019-0279-9
About the Authors
The Decision Lab
The Decision Lab is a Canadian think-tank dedicated to democratizing behavioral science through research and analysis. We apply behavioral science to create social good in the public and private sectors.
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