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Heuristics and Online Misinformation
Topic: Heuristics
by Jacob, 2021 Cohort
First pioneered by Herbert A. Simon in the 1950s and expanded upon by Tversky and Kahneman in the later 20th Century, the concept of heuristics covers a broad range of practical methods used in human cognition. Often subconscious, a heuristic technique is a suboptimal strategy used to solve a problem or make an assessment in a short timeframe. Heuristics are often internally irrational, yet externally rationalisable - that is, they may be comprised of methods that reach conclusions using flawed logic but reach correct conclusions often enough that their usage may nonetheless be considered rational. While humans evolved heuristic thinking to aid survival in nature, in the internet age, our heuristic capabilities have been forced to deal with novel information problems and an overwhelmingly denser stimulus environment than past generations.
Misinformation can be defined as false or misleading information which may or may not be intended to deceive or mislead. Some heuristics that come into play when processing and validating information include:
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Affect heuristic - An appeal to emotion or “gut instinct”. The user equates a positive emotional stimulus with safety, familiarity, or correctness, and responds accordingly. Negative emotional stimuli are regarded as more likely to be wrong or risky. This heuristic helps us quickly identify what kinds of online content might prove interesting, fun, confronting, or upsetting to consume. However, it can also lead us to gravitate towards information that confirms our pre-existing assumptions and shy away from that which challenges our worldview, compounding the effects of echo chambers and confirmation bias. Conspiracy theories often seem persuasive to some because they appeal to emotional instinct and suspicion.
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Narrative simplicity heuristic - Assumption that the easiest-to-understand explanation is most likely to be true. This heuristic can help us avoid complex and convoluted theories but can also lead us to ignore that which we don’t understand immediately. Spend an hour scrolling on social media and you’ll likely find plenty of people who denounce scientific evidence without fully understanding it. In the internet age, we are exposed to more alien and confusing information at a higher frequency than ever before.
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Availability heuristic - More visible information is seen as more representative of truth. For instance, people who view more news about violent crime are more likely to believe violent crime rates are higher than they really are. As online media is often displayed to viewers on an algorithmic basis, emphasising news they show interest in, this has serious implications for our understanding of the world.
Conclusion - The Online Jungle#
The internet is a fertile ground for predatory actors who produce deliberately deceptive misinformation - or disinformation - for a variety of agendas. Fake news intended to manipulate election results, fake activist accounts attempting to incite civil violence, and manufactured identities used for fraud and scamming are all empowered by online technologies and have been frequently observed in recent years.
As truth and falsehood becomes harder to discern, how can we ensure that our heuristic abilities can keep up? Is it possible? Or are we entering a post-truth future?
Additional Resources#
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Disclaimer#
This content has been contributed by a student as part of a learning activity.
If there are inaccuracies, or opportunities for significant improvement on this topic, feedback is welcome on how to improve the resource.
You can improve articles on this topic as a student in "Unravelling Complexity", or by including the amendments in an email to: Chris.Browne@anu.edu.au
First pioneered by Herbert A. Simon in the 1950s and expanded upon by Tversky and Kahneman in the later 20th Century, the concept of heuristics covers a broad range of practical methods used in human cognition. Often subconscious, a heuristic technique is a suboptimal strategy used to solve a problem or make an assessment in a short timeframe. Heuristics are often internally irrational, yet externally rationalisable - that is, they may be comprised of methods that reach conclusions using flawed logic but reach correct conclusions often enough that their usage may nonetheless be considered rational. While humans evolved heuristic thinking to aid survival in nature, in the internet age, our heuristic capabilities have been forced to deal with novel information problems and an overwhelmingly denser stimulus environment than past generations.
Misinformation can be defined as false or misleading information which may or may not be intended to deceive or mislead. Some heuristics that come into play when processing and validating information include:
-
Affect heuristic - An appeal to emotion or “gut instinct”. The user equates a positive emotional stimulus with safety, familiarity, or correctness, and responds accordingly. Negative emotional stimuli are regarded as more likely to be wrong or risky. This heuristic helps us quickly identify what kinds of online content might prove interesting, fun, confronting, or upsetting to consume. However, it can also lead us to gravitate towards information that confirms our pre-existing assumptions and shy away from that which challenges our worldview, compounding the effects of echo chambers and confirmation bias. Conspiracy theories often seem persuasive to some because they appeal to emotional instinct and suspicion.
-
Narrative simplicity heuristic - Assumption that the easiest-to-understand explanation is most likely to be true. This heuristic can help us avoid complex and convoluted theories but can also lead us to ignore that which we don’t understand immediately. Spend an hour scrolling on social media and you’ll likely find plenty of people who denounce scientific evidence without fully understanding it. In the internet age, we are exposed to more alien and confusing information at a higher frequency than ever before.
-
Availability heuristic - More visible information is seen as more representative of truth. For instance, people who view more news about violent crime are more likely to believe violent crime rates are higher than they really are. As online media is often displayed to viewers on an algorithmic basis, emphasising news they show interest in, this has serious implications for our understanding of the world.
Conclusion - The Online Jungle#
The internet is a fertile ground for predatory actors who produce deliberately deceptive misinformation - or disinformation - for a variety of agendas. Fake news intended to manipulate election results, fake activist accounts attempting to incite civil violence, and manufactured identities used for fraud and scamming are all empowered by online technologies and have been frequently observed in recent years.
As truth and falsehood becomes harder to discern, how can we ensure that our heuristic abilities can keep up? Is it possible? Or are we entering a post-truth future?
Additional Resources#