The global spread of misinformation on spiders

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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.