I wonder if nasty fake news would travel faster than kind fake news (if it were a thing). I'm guessing it would and that says something about those who are attracted to nasty fake news and spread it. Some spread it even if they know it's fake. One time I provided proof of false info to one of those people and her response was, I don't care - I still like the message. And so there you have it. Fake or true isn't the point in their sharing; the message says or shows what they want said or done. They share their anger, their bigotry, their hate. And apparently it ignites others rapidly. We've got another type of wildfire problem with plenty of accelerant and ready tinder. There aren't enough firefighting tools to extinguish it as long as there is way for things to spread.
Our neighbor puts lights up every year to celebrate Diwali and I see them twinkling through the night from my window. It's a beautiful holiday to celebrate light over darkness - good over evil.
In fact? It does. For a class I teach, I've made a study of this. We are hard-wired to look out for danger, and fake news that's negative is seen by our rat brains (or our squirrel brains or our you-pick-the-species brains) as a threat. We do this quick calculation in our brains as to whether the threat is real, and if it's not, we stand down. But the process involves a hit of dopamine that is as good as a drug. Oooh! I'm scared! Oh, wait. I'm good. It's actually quite pleasurable and it's understandable that people would get caught up in it. And I only recently learned about Diwali. What a beautiful holiday.
So does that effect hinder their ability to validate it in any way? Why do some quickly buy in and pass it on while others are more thoughtful in validating and critically thinking about it? Have you seen anything that studies the effects by age, education, political leading, gender, religion etc? Anecdotally, I've observed older people seem more prone to be fearful and more gullible - a perfect target for those who want to manipulate. Maybe I should take your class! Lol!
Thanks for the link. It'll be perfect for reading during upcoming travel! There must be a dopamine hit with being mean to people, too. It seems like a lot of fake news is centered on that. Is it because the target of their attacks are contorted into somehow being an imagined threat?
Interesting. I wonder if dopamine overdose is ever a problem. Too much dopamine causes other issues and high levels can be associated with poor impulse control and delusional behavior. Kind of sounds familiar when thinking of our past POTUS.
Tangentially, there's this regularity of people being supposed to be shamed by how some asshole treats them. It isn't just expected by the asshole, but by people who oppose the asshole.
Seeing this just makes me feel those responsible are doing more damage to our country than ISIS, the Saudi's or any other terrorist organization! While I am at it I am also incensed at the Stefanowski campaign using the Farmington police officer and his wife in an attack ad against Lamont! As a former council member and police commissioner here in Bristol where we are still reeling from the ambush of 2 fine young men and the wounding of a 3rd I take high offense to ANY politician using police and/or their families as pawns in their selfish games!!
I wonder if nasty fake news would travel faster than kind fake news (if it were a thing). I'm guessing it would and that says something about those who are attracted to nasty fake news and spread it. Some spread it even if they know it's fake. One time I provided proof of false info to one of those people and her response was, I don't care - I still like the message. And so there you have it. Fake or true isn't the point in their sharing; the message says or shows what they want said or done. They share their anger, their bigotry, their hate. And apparently it ignites others rapidly. We've got another type of wildfire problem with plenty of accelerant and ready tinder. There aren't enough firefighting tools to extinguish it as long as there is way for things to spread.
Our neighbor puts lights up every year to celebrate Diwali and I see them twinkling through the night from my window. It's a beautiful holiday to celebrate light over darkness - good over evil.
In fact? It does. For a class I teach, I've made a study of this. We are hard-wired to look out for danger, and fake news that's negative is seen by our rat brains (or our squirrel brains or our you-pick-the-species brains) as a threat. We do this quick calculation in our brains as to whether the threat is real, and if it's not, we stand down. But the process involves a hit of dopamine that is as good as a drug. Oooh! I'm scared! Oh, wait. I'm good. It's actually quite pleasurable and it's understandable that people would get caught up in it. And I only recently learned about Diwali. What a beautiful holiday.
So does that effect hinder their ability to validate it in any way? Why do some quickly buy in and pass it on while others are more thoughtful in validating and critically thinking about it? Have you seen anything that studies the effects by age, education, political leading, gender, religion etc? Anecdotally, I've observed older people seem more prone to be fearful and more gullible - a perfect target for those who want to manipulate. Maybe I should take your class! Lol!
The science on this is interesting. The little jolt of fear we feel when we read some horrible news is actually a little bit addictive. There is a process that washes through cognitive biases that allow us to make decisions fast -- though not always accurately. And older people stuck at home are dining on a steady diet of doom and gloom from their local television news stations, and thus it has always been. Here's more on cognitive biases: https://thinkingispower.com/guide-to-the-most-common-cognitive-biases-and-heuristics/#:~:text=Think%20of%20heuristics%20like%20guidelines,process%20information%2C%20and%20perceive%20reality.
Thanks for the link. It'll be perfect for reading during upcoming travel! There must be a dopamine hit with being mean to people, too. It seems like a lot of fake news is centered on that. Is it because the target of their attacks are contorted into somehow being an imagined threat?
Precisely. The Dems are grooming our children. The Republicans are fascists. Ooh! Now I must react and so I get my little shot of dopamine.
Interesting. I wonder if dopamine overdose is ever a problem. Too much dopamine causes other issues and high levels can be associated with poor impulse control and delusional behavior. Kind of sounds familiar when thinking of our past POTUS.
Tangentially, there's this regularity of people being supposed to be shamed by how some asshole treats them. It isn't just expected by the asshole, but by people who oppose the asshole.
And it's a regularity that shouldn't exist.
I had to read that twice. More coffee!
I guess I wrote it badly. But it's hard to communicate things about systemic framing that haven't been talked about before.
Not at all. I really DO need more coffee. I get what you're saying. We are in a weird, weird place.
Seeing this just makes me feel those responsible are doing more damage to our country than ISIS, the Saudi's or any other terrorist organization! While I am at it I am also incensed at the Stefanowski campaign using the Farmington police officer and his wife in an attack ad against Lamont! As a former council member and police commissioner here in Bristol where we are still reeling from the ambush of 2 fine young men and the wounding of a 3rd I take high offense to ANY politician using police and/or their families as pawns in their selfish games!!
"Falsehood flies, and the Truth comes limping after it..." - Jonathon Swift (1710)
Extra points for quoting Swift.