Right-wing authoritarianism, conspiracy mentality, and susceptibility to distorted alternative news
At least since 2016, distorted news published in populist alternative media outlets have raised global concerns about the effects of distorted news on democratic process such as opinion formation and voting. Not all individuals are equally susceptible to distorted news. In three experimental studies...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Social Influence |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15534510.2021.1966499 |
| _version_ | 1797678934261760000 |
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| author | Lena Frischlich Jens H. Hellmann Felix Brinkschulte Martin Becker Mitja D. Back |
| author_facet | Lena Frischlich Jens H. Hellmann Felix Brinkschulte Martin Becker Mitja D. Back |
| author_sort | Lena Frischlich |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | At least since 2016, distorted news published in populist alternative media outlets have raised global concerns about the effects of distorted news on democratic process such as opinion formation and voting. Not all individuals are equally susceptible to distorted news. In three experimental studies (total N = 1,024), we demonstrate that (a) distorted alternative news are seen as less credible compared to journalist news; (b) the perceived credibility of distorted news is greater among right-wing authoritarians and conspiracy-minded individuals; (c) exposure to distorted news can bias these types of individuals’ attitudes about an unknown political candidate; and (d) distorted news leads people in general to develop less favorable attitudes toward the targeted candidate as compared to journalist news. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T23:07:05Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0b8c0afe8a5a4415a360f711a84ca89d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1553-4510 1553-4529 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T23:07:05Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Social Influence |
| spelling | doaj.art-0b8c0afe8a5a4415a360f711a84ca89d2023-09-21T12:43:12ZengTaylor & Francis GroupSocial Influence1553-45101553-45292021-01-01161246410.1080/15534510.2021.19664991966499Right-wing authoritarianism, conspiracy mentality, and susceptibility to distorted alternative newsLena Frischlich0Jens H. Hellmann1Felix Brinkschulte2Martin Becker3Mitja D. Back4Westphalian Wilhelms-University (Wwu)Westphalian Wilhelms-UniversityWestphalian Wilhelms-University (Wwu)Westphalian Wilhelms-University (Wwu)Westphalian Wilhelms-UniversityAt least since 2016, distorted news published in populist alternative media outlets have raised global concerns about the effects of distorted news on democratic process such as opinion formation and voting. Not all individuals are equally susceptible to distorted news. In three experimental studies (total N = 1,024), we demonstrate that (a) distorted alternative news are seen as less credible compared to journalist news; (b) the perceived credibility of distorted news is greater among right-wing authoritarians and conspiracy-minded individuals; (c) exposure to distorted news can bias these types of individuals’ attitudes about an unknown political candidate; and (d) distorted news leads people in general to develop less favorable attitudes toward the targeted candidate as compared to journalist news.http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15534510.2021.1966499disinformationalternative newsfake newsright-wing authoritarianismconspiracy mentality |
| spellingShingle | Lena Frischlich Jens H. Hellmann Felix Brinkschulte Martin Becker Mitja D. Back Right-wing authoritarianism, conspiracy mentality, and susceptibility to distorted alternative news Social Influence disinformation alternative news fake news right-wing authoritarianism conspiracy mentality |
| title | Right-wing authoritarianism, conspiracy mentality, and susceptibility to distorted alternative news |
| title_full | Right-wing authoritarianism, conspiracy mentality, and susceptibility to distorted alternative news |
| title_fullStr | Right-wing authoritarianism, conspiracy mentality, and susceptibility to distorted alternative news |
| title_full_unstemmed | Right-wing authoritarianism, conspiracy mentality, and susceptibility to distorted alternative news |
| title_short | Right-wing authoritarianism, conspiracy mentality, and susceptibility to distorted alternative news |
| title_sort | right wing authoritarianism conspiracy mentality and susceptibility to distorted alternative news |
| topic | disinformation alternative news fake news right-wing authoritarianism conspiracy mentality |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15534510.2021.1966499 |
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