Social media and fake news in the 2016 election
H Allcott, M Gentzkow - Journal of economic perspectives, 2017 - aeaweb.org
Following the 2016 US presidential election, many have expressed concern about the
effects of false stories (“fake news”), circulated largely through social media. We discuss the
economics of fake news and present new data on its consumption prior to the election.
Drawing on web browsing data, archives of fact-checking websites, and results from a new
online survey, we find: 1) social media was an important but not dominant source of election
news, with 14 percent of Americans calling social media their “most important” source; 2) of …
effects of false stories (“fake news”), circulated largely through social media. We discuss the
economics of fake news and present new data on its consumption prior to the election.
Drawing on web browsing data, archives of fact-checking websites, and results from a new
online survey, we find: 1) social media was an important but not dominant source of election
news, with 14 percent of Americans calling social media their “most important” source; 2) of …