Interesting: Even lawyers don’t like legalese

This study is out of my comfort zone, but it made me smile: lawyers find simplified legal documents easier to understand, more appealing, and just as enforceable as traditional contracts. So who are we fooling? From the press release:  It’s no secret that legal documents are notoriously difficult to understand, causing headaches for anyone who… Read More Interesting: Even lawyers don’t like legalese

Another way of dealing with misinformation instead of debunking: bypassing it

This is a new and interesting approach to dealing with misinformation: redirecting an individual’s attention away from misinformation and toward other beliefs can be just as effective as debunking it. From the press release: It’s tempting to argue with someone who is misinformed by showing them studies and articles that prove they’re wrong. But new… Read More Another way of dealing with misinformation instead of debunking: bypassing it

Why do people engage with conspiracy theories online?

This study by Morosoli et al was published a couple of months ago in Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies. To answer the question in the title of this post, the researchers surveyed over 7000 people in 6 countries (Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, France, the UK and the U.S.) to check what… Read More Why do people engage with conspiracy theories online?

No, older adults seem not to be more likely to fall for fake news than younger adults

This is a study that got me surprised, to be honest. It found that older adults are no more likely to fall for fake news than younger adults, with age-related susceptibility to deceptive news evident only among those categorized as the ‘oldest old.’ A couple of elements to consider: the study was conducted during the… Read More No, older adults seem not to be more likely to fall for fake news than younger adults