Home Crisis alert: (Dis)information selection and sharing in the COVID-19 pandemic
Article
Licensed
Unlicensed Requires Authentication

Crisis alert: (Dis)information selection and sharing in the COVID-19 pandemic

  • Lea-Johanna Klebba ORCID logo EMAIL logo and Stephan Winter ORCID logo
Published/Copyright: March 11, 2023

Abstract

High levels of threat and uncertainty characterize the onset of societal crises. Here, people are exposed to conflicting information in the media, including disinformation. Because individuals often base their news selection on pre-existing attitudes, the present study aims to examine selective exposure effects in the face of a crisis, and identify right-wing ideological, trust-, and science-related beliefs that might influence the selection and sharing of disinformation. A representative survey of German internet users (N = 1101) at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak showed a confirmation bias in crisis-related news selection and sharing. It revealed right-wing authoritarianism and political mistrust as significant predictors of disinformation selection. The influence of social dominance orientation, mistrust in politics, and perceived certainty of knowledge were significant for sharing disinformation. The present results extend previous knowledge about people’s (dis)information behavior in times of crisis, and shed light on groups particularly vulnerable to disinformation.

References

Aichholzer, J. (2019). Kurzskala Soziale Dominanzorientierung (KSDO-3) [Short scale of social dominance orientation]. Zusammenstellung sozialwissenschaftlicher Items und Skalen (ZIS). https://doi.org/10.6102/zis269Search in Google Scholar

Aichholzer, J., & Zeglovits, E. (2015). Balancierte Kurzskala autoritärer Einstellungen (B-RWA-6) [Balanced short scale of authoritarian attitudes]. Zusammenstellung sozialwissenschaftlicher Items und Skalen (ZIS). https://doi.org/10.6102/zis239Search in Google Scholar

Allcott, H., & Gentzkow, M. (2017). Social media and fake news in the 2016 election. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 31(2), 211–236. http://doi.org/10.1257/jep.31.2.21110.1257/jep.31.2.211Search in Google Scholar

Altemeyer, B. (1998). The “other” authoritarian personality. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 30, 47–92. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2601(08)60382-210.1016/S0065-2601(08)60382-2Search in Google Scholar

American National Election Studies (ANES). (2020). ANES 2020 Time series study. Pre-election and post-election. https://electionstudies.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/anes_timeseries_2020_questionnaire_20210719.pdfSearch in Google Scholar

Bauer, P. C., & Clemm von Hohenberg, B. (2020). Believing and sharing information by fake sources: An experiment. Political Communication, 38(6), 647–671. https://doi.org/10.1080/10584609.2020.184046210.1080/10584609.2020.1840462Search in Google Scholar

Brennen, J. S., Simon, F. M., Howard, P. N., & Nielsen, R. K. (2020). Types, sources, and claims of COVID-19 misinformation. Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/types-sources-and-claims-covid-19-misinformationSearch in Google Scholar

Buchanan, T. (2020). Why do people spread false information online? The effects of message and viewer characteristics on self-reported likelihood of sharing social media disinformation. PLoS ONE, 15(10), 1–33. http://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.023966610.1371/journal.pone.0239666Search in Google Scholar

Burghartswieser, D., & Rothmund, T. (2021). Conservative bias, selective political exposure and truly false consensus beliefs in political communication about the ‘refugee crisis’ in Germany. PLoS ONE, 16(11), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.025944510.1371/journal.pone.0259445Search in Google Scholar

Dohle, S., Wingen, T., & Schreiber, M. (2020). Acceptance and adoption of protective measures during the COVID-19 pandemic: The role of trust in politics and trust in science. Social Psychological Bulletin, 15(4), Article e4315, https://doi.org/10.32872/spb.431510.32872/spb.4315Search in Google Scholar

Duckitt, J., & Sibley, C. G. (2009). A dual-process motivational model of ideology, politics, and prejudice. Psychological Inquiry, 20(2–3), 98–109. https://doi.org/10.1080/1047840090302854010.1080/10478400903028540Search in Google Scholar

Fischer, P., Kastenmüller, A., Greitemeyer, T., Fischer, J., Frey, D., & Crelley, D. (2011). Threat and selective exposure: The moderating role of threat and decision context on confirmatory information search after decisions. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 140(1), 51–62. http://doi.org/10.1037/a002159510.1037/a0021595Search in Google Scholar

Fong, E., & Chang, L. Y. (2011). Community under stress: Trust, reciprocity, and community collective efficacy during SARS outbreak. Journal of Community Health, 36, 797–810. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-011-9378-210.1007/s10900-011-9378-2Search in Google Scholar

Frischlich, L., Hellmann, J. H., Brinkschulte, F., Becker, M., & Back, M. D. (2021). Right-wing authoritarianism, conspiracy mentality, and susceptibility to distorted alternative news. Social Influence, 16(1), 24–64. https://doi.org/10.1080/15534510.2021.196649910.1080/15534510.2021.1966499Search in Google Scholar

Fritsche, I., Cohrs, J. C., Kessler, T., & Bauer, J. (2012). Global warming is breeding social conflict: The subtle impact of climate change threat on authoritarian tendencies. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 32, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2011.10.00210.1016/j.jenvp.2011.10.002Search in Google Scholar

Guess, A. M., & Lyons, B. A. (2020). Misinformation, disinformation, and online propaganda. In N. Persily, & J. Tucker (Eds.), Social media and democracy: The state of the field, prospects for reform (pp. 10–33). Cambridge University Press. http://doi.org/10.1017/978110889096010.1017/9781108890960.003Search in Google Scholar

Hartman, T. K., Stocks, T. V. A., McKay, R., Gibson Miller, J., Levita, L., Martinez, A. P., Mason, L., McBride, O., Murphy, J., Shevlin, M., Bennett, K. M., Hyland, P., Karatzias, T., Vallières, F., & Bentall, R. P. (2021). The authoritarian dynamic during the COVID-19 pandemic: effects on nationalism and anti-immigrant sentiment. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 12(7)1–12. http://doi.org/10.1177/194855062097802310.1177/1948550620978023Search in Google Scholar

Ho, A. K., Sidanius, J., Kteily, N., Sheehy-Skeffington, J., Pratto, F., Henkel, K. E., Foels, R., & Stewart, A. L. (2015). The nature of social dominance orientation: Theorizing and measuring preferences for intergroup inequality using the new SDO7 scale. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 109(6), 1003–1028. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspi000003310.1037/pspi0000033Search in Google Scholar

Hofer, B. K. (2000). Dimensionality and disciplinary differences in personal epistemology. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25(4), 378–405. http://doi.org/10.1006/ceps.1999.102610.1006/ceps.1999.1026Search in Google Scholar

Imhoff, R., & Lamberty, P. (2020). A bioweapon or a hoax? The link between distinct conspiracy beliefs about the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak and pandemic behavior. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 11(8), 1110–1118. http://doi.org/10.1177/194855062093469210.1177/1948550620934692Search in Google Scholar

Islam, N. A. K. M., Laato, S., Talukder, S., & Sutinen, E. (2020). Misinformation sharing and social media fatigue during COVID-19: An affordance and cognitive load perspective. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 159, 1–14. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2020.12020110.1016/j.techfore.2020.120201Search in Google Scholar

Jedinger, A., & Burger, A. M. (2019). The ideological foundations of economic protectionism: Authoritarianism, social dominance orientation, and the moderating role of political involvement. Political Psychology, 41(2), 403–424. http://doi.org/10.1111/pops.1262710.1111/pops.12627Search in Google Scholar

Jost, J. T., Glaser, J., Kruglanski, A. W., & Sulloway, F. J. (2003). Political conservatism as motivated social cognition. Psychological Bulletin, 129(3), 339–375. http://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.129.3.33910.1037/0033-2909.129.3.339Search in Google Scholar

Kerwer, M., & Rosman, T. (2020). Epistemic change and diverging information: How do prior epistemic beliefs affect the efficacy of short-term interventions? Learning and Individual Differences, 80, 1–13. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2020.10188610.1016/j.lindif.2020.101886Search in Google Scholar

Kim, J., Kim, J.-H., & Seo, M. (2014). Toward a person × situation model of selective exposure. Repressors, sensitizers, and choice of online news on financial crisis. Journal of Media Psychology, 26(2), 59–69. https://doi.org/10.1027/1864-1105/a00011110.1027/1864-1105/a000111Search in Google Scholar

Kohring, M. (2004). Vertrauen in Journalismus. Theorie und Empirie [Trust in journalism. Theory and empiricism]. University Publishing House.Search in Google Scholar

Knobloch-Westerwick, S., Westerwick, A., & Johnson, B. (2015). Selective exposure in the communication technology context. In S. S. Sundar (Ed.), Handbook of the psychology of communication technology (pp. 407–427). Wiley-Blackwell. https://doi.org/10.1002/978111842645610.1002/9781118426456.ch18Search in Google Scholar

Lavine, H., Lodge, M., & Freitas, K. (2005). Authoritarianism, threat, and motivated reasoning. Political Psychology, 26(2), 219–244. http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9221.2005.00416.x10.1111/j.1467-9221.2005.00416.xSearch in Google Scholar

Liang, H. (2018). Broadcast versus viral spreading: The structure of diffusion cascades and selective sharing on social media. Journal of Communication, 68(3), 525–546. https://doi.org/10.1093/joc/jqy00610.1093/joc/jqy006Search in Google Scholar

Liao, Q. V., & Fu, W. (2013). Beyond the filter bubble: interactive effects of perceived threat and topic involvement on selective exposure to information. CHI ’13: Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2359–2368. https://dl.acm.org/doi/pdf/10.1145/2470654.248132610.1145/2470654.2481326Search in Google Scholar

Müller, P., & Schulz, A. (2021). Alternative media for a populist audience? Exploring political and media use predictors of exposure to Breitbart, Sputnik, and Co. Information, Communication & Society, 24(2), 277–293. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2019.164677810.1080/1369118X.2019.1646778Search in Google Scholar

Robert Koch Institute. (2020, April 15). COVID-19: Fallzahlen in Deutschland und weltweit [COVID-19: Case numbers in Germany and worldwide]. https://www.rki.de/DE/Content/InfAZ/N/Neuartiges_Coronavirus/Fallzahlen.htmlSearch in Google Scholar

Romer, D., & Jamieson, K. H. (2021). Conspiratorial thinking, selective exposure to conservative media, and response to COVID-19 in the US. Social Science & Medicine, 291, 114480. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.11448010.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114480Search in Google Scholar

Roozenbeek, J., Schneider, C. R., & Dryhurst, S. (2020). Susceptibility to misinformation about COVID-19 around the world. Royal Society Open Science, 7(10), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.20119910.1098/rsos.201199Search in Google Scholar

Schultz, T., Jackob, N., Ziegele, M., Quiring, O., & Schemer, C. (2017). Erosion des Vertrauens zwischen Medien und Publikum? Ergebnisse einer repräsentativen Bevölkerungsumfrage [Erosion of trust between media and audience? Results of a representative survey]. Media Perspektiven, 5, 246–259. https://www.ard-werbung.de/fileadmin/user_upload/media-perspektiven/pdf/2017/0517_Schultz_Jackob_Ziegele_Quiring_Schemer.pdfSearch in Google Scholar

Shin, J. E., & Thorson, K. (2017). Partisan selective sharing: The biased diffusion of fact-checking messages on social media. Journal of Communication, 67(2), 233–255. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcom.1228410.1111/jcom.12284Search in Google Scholar

Sidanius, J., & Pratto, F. (2004). Social dominance theory: A new synthesis. In J. T. Jost, & J. Sidanius (Eds.), Political psychology (pp. 315–332). Psychology Press. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203505984-1810.4324/9780203505984-18Search in Google Scholar

Siegrist, M., & Zingg, A. (2014). The role of public trust during pandemics: Implications for crisis communication. European Psychologist, 19(1), 23–32. https://doi.org/10.1027/1016-9040/a00016910.1027/1016-9040/a000169Search in Google Scholar

Sindermann, C., Elhai, J. D., Moshagen, M., & Montag, C. (2020). Age, gender, personality, ideological attitudes and individual differences in a person’s news spectrum: How many and who might be prone to “filter bubbles” and “echo chambers” online? Heliyon, 6(1), article e03214. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e0321410.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e03214Search in Google Scholar

Winter, S., Metzger, M. J., & Flanagin, A. J. (2016). Selective use of news cues: A multiple motive perspective on information selection in social media environments. Journal of Communication, 66(4), 669–693. http://doi.org/10.1111/jcom.1224110.1111/jcom.12241Search in Google Scholar

Wittenberg, C., & Berinsky, A. J. (2020). Misinformation and its correction. In N. Persily, & J. Tucker (Eds.), Social media and democracy: The state of the field, prospects for reform (pp. 163–198). Cambridge University Press. http://doi.org/10.1017/978110889096010.1017/9781108890960.009Search in Google Scholar

Zimmermann, F., & Kohring, M. (2020). Mistrust, disinforming news, and vote choice: A panel survey on the origins and consequences of believing disinformation in the 2017 German parliamentary election. Political Communication, 37(2), 215–237. http://doi.org/10.1080/10584609.2019.168609510.1080/10584609.2019.1686095Search in Google Scholar

Zmerli, S., & Newton, K. (2017). Objects of political and social trust: Scales and hierarchies. In S. Zmerli, & T. W. G. van der Meer (Eds.), Handbook of political trust (pp. 104–124). Edward Elgar. https://doi.org/10.4337/978178254511810.4337/9781782545118.00017Search in Google Scholar

Published Online: 2023-03-11
Published in Print: 2024-05-22

© 2023 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Downloaded on 9.9.2025 from https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/commun-2022-0020/html
Scroll to top button