Why Do So Many People Share and Believe Fake News?

Fake news spreads across the Internet like wildfire, and might even spread more quickly than real news!

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Sources:

[xjfriday]

In short, as my uncle says, "a lie has already run around town before the truth could even get his shoes on."

[Ian-bfyk]

Because fact checking is hard and fake news can be more interesting.

[patriciaa]

It's easier to fool someone than convince them they've been fooled.

[PaleGhost]

Because The Onion has become too good.

[Taneth]

Basically if a headline is emotionally charged, it's probably a lie. Because if it was based on good honest reasoning, it wouldn't have to rely on split-second emotional decisions to be spread.

[greensteve]

"A lie can run around the world before the truth has got its boots on."

[rnelson]

WIZARD'S FIRST RULE
People are stupid. They can be made to believe any lie because either they want to believe it's true or because they are afraid it's true.

[NMonterosso]

This is why people should learn to research things instead of just believing what they are told by the news.

[ChitosVids]

This explains why so many people believe in religion

[slumbermeadow]

I'm really disappointed that this channel isn't called PsyShow

[shaorandra]

a "friend" once shared a story from a news site to me. i read the article and it seemed a bit to perfectly fitting. so i took a look at their sources. this page actually listed themselves as source. and as their only source... but this "friend" still believed this story...

[marilynpresleyam]

I see so much fake news when it comes to Elvis Presley. I am an Elvis historian and enthusiast and I ALWAYS encounter false rumors about Elvis that I have to debunk multiple times

[jeta]

You guys should do a video on how to avoid fake news and how to figure out if news is legitimate or fake

[MakeMeThinkAgain]

I think the main factor, and you mentioned this early on, is that people believe what suits them. And this is true for religion as well.

[uplink-on-yt]

"You lied about my level of skill identifying the notes correctly? I don't believe you. You're lying now, because my gut says you were spot on the first time."

[theultimatereductionist]

Truth is hard. Facts are boring. Fake-osity is exciting.

[erikk]

I always thought Buzzfeed was about alcohol and drugs.

[Azrage]

"'Everything you read on the internet is true.' - Benjamin Franklin and/or Abraham Lincoln" - Every high school teacher that assigns a research project's poster.

[MrAvidOutdoorsman]

Its easier to deceive the masses then to convince the masses they been deceived .

[the]

4:11 What? Who would call Buzzfeed a reliable source?