Fake future news has the X factor

Irish study looks at habits of sharing stories online

- BY CIARA O'LOUGHLIN

FAKE news stories that reference the future are more likely to be spread on X, according to new research from Trinity College Dublin.

The study by the university's business school discovered future-oriented false stories are more widely shared on the social media site compared to other fake news.

Lead researcher Ashish Kumar Jha said this is likely because fake news with past orientation doesn't elicit uncertainty.

People are more likely to share a story about something that 'will' happen as this is harder to discredit and may evoke worry.

This behaviour is linked to human evolution, according to the paper called Judging a Book by Its Cover: Understanding the Phenomenon of Fake News Propagation from an Evolutionary Psychology Perspective.

The study argues that humans naturally fear the future due to the role that potential physical and emotional dangers have played in human evolution.

It added: "Fear is a very powerful emotion that significantly influences belief in fake news, leading to increases in its production and consumption in recent years.

"Furthermore, fear leads to an increased tendency to share fake news and increased pseudo-profound existential beliefs."