Key points

Misinformation is harmful to the life of the culture.

Understanding how it works, therefore, has far-reaching implications for individuals and society.

Most research on misinformation has focused on the cognitive biases that make individuals vulnerable.

An alternative approach looks at the perpetrators instead, framing misinformation as calculated aggression.

The problem of people falling for falsehoods has become an urgent issue in recent years, as new technologies have conspired with sociopolitical currents within the culture to spread misinformation at unprecedented speed and reach.

Psychologists who study this issue have focused mainly on individual vulnerabilities: the cognitive quirks and biases that predispose us to believe falsehoods, buy into lies, and give in t

See Full Page