The global spread of misinformation on spiders
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Date
Authors
Mammola, Stefano
Malumbres-Olarte, Jagoba
Arabesky, Valeria
Barrales-Alcala, Diego Alejandro
Barrion-Dupo, Aimee Lynn
Benamu, Marco Antonio
Bird, Tharina L.
Bogomolova, Maria
Cardoso, Pedro
Chatzaki, Maria
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Cell Press
Abstract
In the internet era, the digital architecture that keeps us connected and informed may also amplify the spread of misinformation. This problem is gaining global attention, as evidence accumulates that misinformation may interfere with democratic processes and undermine collective responses to environmental and health crises. In an increasingly polluted information ecosystem, understanding the factors underlying the generation and spread of misinformation is becoming a pressing scientific and societal challenge. Here, we studied the global spread of (mis-) information on spiders using a high-resolution global database of online newspaper articles on spider–human interactions, covering stories of spider–human encounters and biting events published from 2010–2020. We found that 47% of articles contained errors and 43% were sensationalist. Moreover, we show that the flow of spider-sdrelated news occurs within a highly interconnected global network and provide evidence that sensationalism is a key factor underlying the spread of misinformation.
Description
Keywords
Internet era, Misinformation, Democratic processes, Spider–human interactions, SDG-15: Life on land
Sustainable Development Goals
SDG-15:Life on land
Citation
Mammola, S., Malumbres-Olarte, J., Arabesky, V. et al. 2022, 'The global spread of misinformation on spiders', Current Biology, vol. 32, no. 16, pp. R855-R873. DOI : 10.1016/j.cub.2022.07.026.