Study finds 75% of news posts shared without reading
Most social media users share news without clicking on them.
A new study has revealed that 75% of news-related social media posts are shared without being read, highlighting the rapid spread of unverified information. Researchers from US universities analysed over 35 million Facebook posts from 2017 to 2020, focusing on key moments in American politics. The study found that many users share links based on headlines, summaries, or the number of likes a post has received, without ever clicking to read the full article.
The study, published in Nature Human Behaviour, suggests this behavior may be driven by information overload and the fast-paced nature of social media. Users are often pressured to quickly share content without fully processing it, leading to the spread of misinformation. The research also pointed out that political partisans are more likely to share news without reading, though this could also be influenced by a few highly active, partisan accounts.
To mitigate the spread of misinformation, the authors suggest social media platforms implement warnings or alerts to inform users of the risks involved in sharing content without reading it. This would help users make more informed decisions before reposting news articles.