Undermining facts in democracy needs only a few highly active super-spreaders, not a majority
Evidence
The reason why conspiracy theories spread so easily is because they are psychologically attractive; they offer simple explanations for complex events; they restore a sense of agency and control in a world increasingly filled with chaos and uncertainty. … Moreover, we don’t need the whole population operating on the extreme side of the post-truth danger spectrum in order to undermine the status of ‘facts’ in democracy. This is a common misperception. Many influential elections are decided on narrow margins. Fake news just needs to dupe a few people. Study after study has shown that the people who spread the most fake news are highly politically active: they’re extreme, they’re motivated, they’re super-spreaders. They are not most people. — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof, 219
Categorization
- SEED: Angle: the ‘super-spreader minority’ model of misinformation — why elections hinge on a motivated fringe rather than a duped majority.
- XREF: connects to: Democracy can function on recognition by only a minority; Herd immunity means only a large-enough majority needs inoculation against misinformation — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects…, 835; Small dedicated groups can exercise electoral power beyond their numbers — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement: How People Do Harm…, 1106
Broader Connections
- Democracy can function on recognition by only a minority
#corroborates(0.85) - Herd immunity means only a large-enough majority needs inoculation against misinformation
#contradicts(0.85) — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof, 835 - Small dedicated groups can exercise electoral power beyond their numbers
#corroborates(0.85) — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 1106