How Facebook Makes Us Dumber by Cass
R. Sunstein
Cass Sunstein observes:
“Why does
misinformation spread so quickly on the social media? Why doesn’t it get
corrected? When the truth is so easy to find, why do people accept falsehoods?
A new study
focusing on Facebook users provides strong evidence that the explanation is
confirmation bias: people’s tendency to seek out information that confirms
their beliefs, and to ignore contrary information.
Confirmation bias
turns out to play a pivotal role in the creation of online echo chambers. This
finding bears on a wide range of issues, including the current presidential campaign,
the acceptance of conspiracy theories and competing positions in international
disputes.”