Over 2 billion people in 50 countries are expected to vote in 2024. This is a record-breaking election year.
However, 2024 is also the year AI can fill your screens with fake information more than ever. Specific experts have expressed concern that the new artificial intelligence tools and a lack of regulation surrounding the rapidly evolving technology could allow more people than ever to create fake media and possibly alter the outcomes of elections across the globe.
A study has discovered that the ability of people to discern what is real and what’s fake information is influenced by their education level and voting preferences.
The study in the US indicates the possibility that Democrat voters, typically located on the left side of the spectrum of political opinion, tend to be more likely to recognize the truth from the fiction than Republican voters, who are typically in the center.
It also discovered that people are aware of their capacity to discern news reasonably well. This means that those who fail to perform very well at identifying real and fake news understand that they could have done more effectively.
Education Is Vital To Tell The Difference Between True And False News
This study, published in the journal Communications Psychology, involved 533 Democrat and Republican voters in the US. The participants were asked to assess whether the news headlines were truthful and the degree of confidence they had in their judgment.
In addition to the differences due to political affiliations, The study also found that men were more adept at recognizing false news than females and that those with higher education were more adept at identifying fake news.
The degree of education was the most significant factor in the ability of people to recognize fake news. There were clear gains in performance as they spent more time in school.
Why Do Certain People Believe In Fake Information?
The sheer amount of variables that can lead to a person’s belief in false news makes it challenging to understand the motivations behind it could be incredibly difficult.
The present study, for instance, focused on political party affiliation, gender, age, and education levels, which all were discovered to play an important role.
But it’s important to know that this study is purely correlational. We can’t say [what causes Republicans to be] less able to distinguish fake news than Democrats. There are many factors at play here. It can relate to your interest in politics, analytical ability, or emotional responses.
Psychological studies explain why people on the left tend to accept fake news more often than people with different political views.
Populist supporters prefer strong, autocratic leaders who value discipline and conformity over personal autonomy and individual liberties.
How To Help People Discern Fake And Genuine News
The best thing to tackle fake news would be more education. That’s number one. But shorter-term things like media literacy programs and fact-checking websites can help.
However, the “overwhelming volume of online content, people’s emotional biases,” and “the increasing complexity of misinformation” make discerning between authentic and fake information extremely difficult.
Apart from the online and educational tools, it is also helpful to remind yourself to be aware of and verify the facts and information and use various sources.
The key is to make people aware of the need to check [the veracity of] information rather than making snap decisions based on emotional impact or appeal.
