Don’t lead with a lie. – chloe kaczenski humbert

Most people don’t actually ever see beyond the headline. It’s a problem if someone starts with the thing they’re planning on debunking, and editor’s notes (or community notes) are probably not effective enough because of this reality.

Phys.org – November 19, 2024 Editors’ notes Social media users probably won’t read beyond this headline, researchers say by Ashley WennersHerron, Pennsylvania State University In an analysis of more than 35 million public posts containing links that were shared extensively on the social media platform between 2017 and 2020, the researchers found that around 75% of the shares were made without the posters clicking the link first. Of these, political content from both ends of the spectrum was shared without clicking more often than politically neutral content. The findings, which the researchers said suggest that social media users tend to merely read headlines and blurbs rather than fully engage with core content, were published today (Nov. 19) in Nature Human Behavior.

“Due to the reward-based learning systems on social media, users form habits of sharing information that attracts others' attention. Once habits form, information sharing is automatically activated by cues on the platform without users considering response outcomes such as spreading misinformation.” Sharing of misinformation is habitual, not just lazy or biased, Gizem Ceylan, Ian A. Anderson, and Wendy Wood, Edited by Susan Fiske, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ; received September 28, 2022; accepted December 3, 2022, January 17, 2023 120 (4) e2216614120 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2216614120 — “Due to the reward-based learning systems on social media, users form habits of sharing information that attracts others’ attention. Once habits form, information sharing is automatically activated by cues on the platform without users considering response outcomes such as spreading misinformation.” Sharing of misinformation is habitual, not just lazy or biased, Gizem Ceylan, Ian A. Anderson, and Wendy Wood, Edited by Susan Fiske, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ; received September 28, 2022; accepted December 3, 2022, January 17, 2023 120 (4) e2216614120 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2216614120

I’ve been griping about this for some time now. Sadly I think some people realize that they get more clicks for leading with the lie.