Social Science Space

As part of a pioneering effort to systematically use privacy-protected Facebook data to study the platform’s impact on democracy, the Social Science Research Council and its partner Social Science One have named the inaugural recipients of the Social Media and Democracy Research Grants.

These two studies examined fake news on separate social media platforms; Facebook and Twitter, with both concluding that sharing this content was a rare occurrence but when users did share fake news articles they tended to be older Americans over 65.

Between his chastisements of the media, Twitter rants, and dismissal of scientifically conducted studies, some may wonder what it really means to be a reporter in the age of Donald Trump. Recently, a panel of reporters came together to address this question during the annual meeting of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.

Gleb Tsipursky is addressing fake news, but not by trying to educate consumers about the viper already in their newsfeed. He harnessed his own skills as a behavioral scientist and is asking newsmakers themselves to not speak or spread fake news in the first place.

Fake news, whether truly phony or merely unpalatable, has become an inescapable trope for modern media consumers. But apart from its propagandist provenance, misinformation and disinformation in our media diets is a genuine threat. Sociologist Nick Adams, in this Social Science Bites podcast, offers hope that a tool he’s developed can improve the media literacy of the populace.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently acknowledged his company’s responsibility in helping create the enormous amount of fake news that plagued the 2016 election – after earlier denials. Yet he offered no concrete details on what Facebook could do about it. Fortunately, there’s a way to fight fake news that already exists and has behavioral science on its side: the Pro-Truth Pledge project.

Last year Social Science Space presented more than 200 articles on the impact, infrastructure and industry surrounding social and behavioral science and research. Looking back over those articles, we’ve chosen a few of special merit. Social Science Space plans to continue to provide the latest that the new year has to offer. Stay up to date with us to see what is in store.

2017 may well be remembered as the year of alternative facts and fake news. Truth took a hit, and experts seemed to lose the public’s trust and scientists felt under siege as the Trump administration took office. Five stories, from The Conversation, showcase where scholars and scientists stand in this new climate and various ways to consider the value research holds for society.

In the videos below, a trio of media professionals along with the former dean of the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland, offer their savvy takes on these questions and more.

Is the problem with fake news that individual stories confuse people? Or could it be, argues a new paper, that fake news sets the agenda that other and more legitimate media then follow?

‘By looking more closely at how fake news moves and mobilizes people, we can develop a richer picture of not only how much it circulates where, but also why it circulates and how it resonates amongst different publics.’

Concerned about the proliferation of fake news, CQ Press has created a short checklist aimed at students and teachers that offers some tools for divining what’s solid news and what’s bogus.