ERIC Number: EJ1298341
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-2365-7464
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Infodemic: The Effect of Death-Related Thoughts on News-Sharing
Lim, Amy J.; Tan, Edison; Lim, Tania
Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications, v6 Article 39 2021
Research on the sharing of fake news has primarily focused on the manner in which fake news spreads and the literary style of fake news. These studies, however, do not explain how characteristics of fake news could affect people's inclination toward sharing these news articles. Drawing on the Terror Management Theory, we proposed that fake news is more likely to elicit death-related thoughts than real news. Consequently, to manage the existential anxiety that had been produced, people share the news articles to feel connected to close others as a way of resolving the existential anxiety. Across three experimental studies (total N = 416), we found that it was not news type per se (i.e., real versus fake news) that influenced news-sharing intentions; instead, it was the increased accessibility to death-related thoughts elicited from the content of news articles that motivated news-sharing. The findings support the Terror Management framework and contribute to the existing literature by providing an empirical examination of the underlying psychological motive behind fake news-sharing tendencies.
Descriptors: Death, Fear, News Media, Deception, Information Dissemination, Anxiety, Cognitive Processes, Psychological Patterns
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
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Language: English
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