The Role of Online Misinformation and Fake News in Ideological Polarization: Barriers, Catalysts, and Implications

Cheuk Hang Au (), Kevin K. W. Ho and Dickson K.W. Chiu
Additional contact information
Cheuk Hang Au: National Chung Cheng University
Kevin K. W. Ho: University of Guam
Dickson K.W. Chiu: The University of Hong Kong

Information Systems Frontiers, 2022, vol. 24, issue 4, No 15, 1354 pages

Abstract: Abstract In recent years, the circulation of online misinformation and fake news has drawn our attention, given it has ideologically polarized society and has led to social instability, compromised democracies, and other consequences. Efforts on technical or behavioral dimensions on their identification are not uncommon, but these efforts inadequately addressed their roots, and thus may not stop them from creation or spreading. Using the theoretical lens of computer-mediated communications, we analyzed the ideological polarization phenomenon in Hong Kong, which has been worsening since the Umbrella Revolution in 2014. We proposed a three-stage model to illustrate the mechanism of how online misinformation and fake news leads to ideological polarization. The catalysts and barriers in each stage were also highlighted. Our analyses generate a better understanding of the mechanisms that help hinder the circulation of online misinformation and fake news, and thus, reduces the damages it caused.

Keywords: Fake news; Polarization; Social media; Computer-mediated communication; Misinformation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10796-021-10133-9 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:infosf:v:24:y:2022:i:4:d:10.1007_s10796-021-10133-9

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/journal/10796

DOI: 10.1007/s10796-021-10133-9

Access Statistics for this article

Information Systems Frontiers is currently edited by Ram Ramesh and Raghav Rao

More articles in Information Systems Frontiers from Springer
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().