Feared virus and lockdown harms distract people from judging online content accuracy

Evidence

Gordon Pennycook, a behavioral scientist at the University of Regina, explains that as the virus spread, conspiracy peddlers found a ready audience with a public that was in a state of generalized fear of getting seriously ill and possibly dying, and simultaneously had very real worries about what public health measures like stay-at-home orders, school closures, and masking would mean for their livelihoods and loved ones. “Those fears distract people from judging the accuracy of the content they may read online,” he told The New York Times, adding, “As a rule, people don’t want to spread false content. But at a time like this, when people are worried about the virus, headlines like ‘Vitamin C Cures Covid’ or ‘It’s All a Hoax’ tend to travel widely.” — Naomi Klein, Doppelganger, 117

Categorization

• DEFINE: Establishes the causal mechanism (fear-driven distraction) that Klein’s ‘threat multiplier’ thesis in this chapter’s title rests on.