A study has found that people who searched online to verify the veracity of possible misinformation actually ended up believing it due to “poor quality results” from search engines. The findings, according to the researchers, point to the need for online search engines to address the challenge posed by the appearance of non-credible information at the top of search results. The study conducted by a research team from the University of Central Florida, New York University and Stanford University, USA, aimed to understand the impact of search results produced when people use search engines. The findings were published in the journal Nature and highlighted the need for media literacy programs based on empirically tested interventions and for search engines to invest in solutions to these challenges. “Our study shows that the act of searching online to evaluate news increases belief in widely popular misinformation, and by notable amounts,” said study author Zeve Sanderson, founding executive director of the Center for Social Media and Politics (CSMaP) from New York University. The researchers assessed people’s behavior after reading both recent and older news articles. The data set included a combination of news articles containing misleading or false information as well as verified news about significant topics such as Covid-19. The team included “fake popular articles” about Covid-19 vaccines, Trump’s impeachment process, and climate events. They found that users who conducted online searches to evaluate news articles were more likely to believe them when search engines showed “poor quality results.” Additionally, in one of five studies assessing the impact of search result quality on believing or disbelieving misinformation, researchers found that online users exposed to “low-quality” search results were more likely to believe in falsehoods. “This points to the danger that ‘data gaps’ – areas of the information ecosystem dominated by low-quality or completely false news – may be playing an important role in leading people towards non-credible information at the top of search results,” said lead author Kevin Aslett, an assistant professor at UCF. This study highlights how poor-quality search engine results can contribute significantly towards misleading individuals. It also underscores why it is essential for media literacy programs and technology companies alike to work together towards addressing this issue. According to indian media’ report on this shocking study titled “Shocking Study Says Poor Quality Online Search Results Made People Believe Misinformation”, it is clear that there needs to be a concerted effort across various sectors including education and technology companies themselves if we are going tackle this growing problem effectively.
Poor quality results on search engines contribute to misinformation: Study
