SOUTH LANARKSHIRE, Scotland — Facebook can be a breeding ground for misinformation. Now, the husband of one cancer patient is warning that the social media platform could be providing people with bogus treatments for the disease. Cancer patients are being bombarded with “miracle cures” on Facebook, ranging from salt water and sound videos to dangerous …
PHILADELPHIA — If you’re on social media, chances are you’ve come across a post that is full of misinformation. Whether it’s about politics, vaccines, or another issue, you might feel the temptation to argue with the poster and show them the errors of their ways. However, new research shows that debunking the misinformation might not …
NEW YORK — Paging Dr. Google! According to a recent survey, nearly two in five (39%) people have used online information in lieu of visiting their physician, with the average person self-diagnosing four times in the past year based on information found online. The survey of 2,016 U.S. adults ages 40 and over revealed people’s …
ITHACA, N.Y. — Trusting the news you read online is factual can make it less stressful when navigating the web. New research finds trust in the news on social media can make a big difference in a teenager’s well-being. However, not everything you read on the Internet is true. When the COVID-19 pandemic first emerged, …
BIRMINGHAM, United Kingdom — Fake news and misinformation continues to be a major problem across various news media platforms and all corners of the Internet. Now, however, researchers from the University of Birmingham may have uncovered an effective way to spot fake news. Study authors say grammatical patterns in the way journalists use language can distinguish …
WASHINGTON — Fake news is a constant problem in modern society, with misinformation spreading like wildfire through various social media platforms. While some may think it’s all a plot by powerful sources to influence the public narrative on certain issues, a new study finds a different reason for why fake news spreads. Researchers looking at thousands …
BOSTON — YouTube is an incredible asset containing countless hours of valuable content, but there’s also a whole lot of “junk” on there. Case in point, researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital are revealing an “alarming” amount of medical misinformation within videos discussing sleep disorders to YouTube. Even worse, “popular” videos from bloggers containing both misinformation …
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Many people believe that older adults are very susceptible to fake news online. Surprisingly, however, new research from the University of Florida reports older adults are no more likely than their younger counterparts to believe misinformation. Only the “oldest of the old” showed any age-related susceptibilities to fake news. “We wanted to see …
WASHINGTON — Have you ever heard something untrue today but said, “I could see that happening one day”? A new study finds misinformation is more likely to spread when people believe there’s still some truth in the lies they hear. A team in London found people are more willing to overlook someone like a politician …
EDINBURGH, Scotland — It’s fairly common knowledge these days that not all accounts and users on social media are actually real people. Some are “bots” programmed to convey and promote a particular political slant or talking point, while others just spam the web with advertisements. Interestingly, however, researchers from the University of Edinburgh find celebrities …