An analysis of how motivated reasoning and confirmation bias affect people to accept “true news” through social media selectively

Abstract

In recent years, with the development of technology, social media has started to appear in people’s lives, rapidly entering people’s lives along with the progress of the Internet. However, with the rise of social media, self-publishing has gradually proliferated on the Internet, with all kinds of news being sent without verification, causing much distress to people. It is, therefore, essential to understand why people selectively accept “true news” through social media. This study examines why people believe in fake news from the perspective of different “Emotional” Tendencies through a content analysis of four posts from different social media applications. The findings show that the public relies on theories related to motivated reasoning and confirmation bias when selectively accepting fake news. In particular, confirmation bias is a case where people, keen to believe in claims that are consistent with their beliefs or their lack of knowledge, are often attracted to the words and texts of the poster and unconsciously believe their story, thus contributing to their agenda. This research studies some of the main factors that have contributed to the public’s selective belief in fake news in recent years and helps to understand more about how people perceive and recognize fake news.