Why does false information spread in the first place?

Watch the following TEDEd video to learn more about how false and incorrect information spreads:

Misinformation, disinformation, and propaganda

Some false news takes the form of misinformation; incorrect or satirical information that is spread by mistake. Careless sharing, a lack of fact-checking, and confirmation bias all contribute to the spread of misinformation. In 2011, a Louisiana lawmaker spread a bit of misinformation in the form of an article from the Onion, a satirical news site.

This type of information spread isn't uncommon: according to a recent study by researchers at Columbia university, 59% of shares on social media are never clicked, leading researchers to believe that many people don't actually read the news stories they share! And it isn’t just shared stories; an April Fools’ prank by NPR showed that many online denizens only bother to read headlines (and not articles) before commenting.

Some false news isn't spread by mistake; disinformation, or the purposeful spread of false information, is not uncommon but also not easy to spot. Propaganda, or the use of key phrases, images, and ideas to encourage a particular response, is also common in today's media landscape.

When false information goes beyond simple misinformation: two examples from April, 2013

In 2013, two Florida DJs aired a segment on a dangerous and potentially toxic chemical substance coming out of taps in the Fort Meyers area. The two hosts warned listeners about the dangers of dihydrogen monoxide, prompting panicked phone calls to local utility officials about the safety of their drinking water. What these callers did not realize was that dihydrogen monoxide is in fact water, and that they had fallen prey to a not very well thought out April Fools’ Day prank. Though the stunt cost the two DJs their jobs, the long-term impacts of this bit of disinformation were negligible.

A few weeks after, America was stunned and shocked by the bombing of the Boston Marathon on April 15th. After the bombing, internet detectives and news agencies speculated on the identity of the bombers. On April 18th, a blurry photo of suspect #2 (later revealed to be Dzhokhar Tsarnaev) was posted on Reddit alongside an image of missing Brown University Student Sunil Tripathi, speculating that Tripathi might be the second bomber. Within 4 hours, this speculation had been posted and tweeted millions of times, with some posters even going so far as to claim that Tripathi had been identified as suspect 2, though there was no evidence supporting this and they would shortly release the real identity of suspect number 2.

Unfortunately, significant damage had already been done to the search efforts for Sunil. Hate mail and death threats over Sunil’s alleged links to the bombing forced his family to call off the search. Local shelters and missing persons organizations refused to work with them. On April 23, Sunil’s body was pulled out of the Providence River. His death was ruled a suicide.

Though both of these examples have very different outcomes and impacts, both demonstrate the inherent dangers in spreading unverified and false information, even with the best of intentions.