The research focuses on understanding the phenomenon of Fake News Propagation from an Evolutionary Psychology perspective. According to Trinity Business School’s study, which was published in the "Journal of the Association for Information Systems" in 2025, future-facing fake news stories receive more engagement and retweets than other forms of fake news. This suggests that fake news that includes statements about the future is more likely to spread and be shared online.
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The study, conducted by Ashish Kumar Jha, an Associate Professor at Trinity Business School, and Rohit Nishant from Queen’s Business School, found that real-worldFake News tends to gain more attention and engagement when it has a strong future-oriented message. The research also examined 465,519 tweets using the FakeNewsNet project, which showed a clear relationship: fake news stories with features that indicate a sense of uncertainty are shared by users more often. For example, stories mentioning the potential impact of events on personal finances or political figures resulted in higher engagement. This suggests that stories that evoke doubt or uncertainty are more likely to be shared and lead to a multimedia consumption trend.
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The paper explains that this pattern is likely because such fake news stories are more useful for spreading between users and institutions, as they can confuse people into voting for individuals or organizations based on uncertain or satirical content. For instance, a fake news story about a real event intended to spread negative attention but received high engagement, while a less impactful narrative about a positive event received fewer shares. This finding underscores how fake news can be leveraged for its intended psychological effect on users.
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Trinity Business School’s Jha notes that the study has broader implications for the study of information dissemination and social media platform use. The research highlights the evolution of societal interaction with information, as reflexivity in receiving false news has become a familiar phenomenon. The findings contribute to understanding how audiences perceive and respond to information, particularly about critical events or political highlights.
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Dr. Jha further explains that even in a switch from Twitter usage towards platforms like X, the way future-posing fake news is framed and delivered remains a significant factor in its spread. The study also emphasized that these posts often evoke a sense of uncertainty, which is a potent driver of increase in engagement. The research adds that fake news with a strong future-think feature is used to discredit leaders, but its discarding is crucial to maintain social trust. This highlights the need for responsible digital platforms that prevent the misuse of information to undermine social order.
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The findings of this study contribute to a larger understanding of how false information spreads, particularly in the context of platforms like X. The research underscores the importance of creating a ‘modules of engagement’ system to understand how fake news interacts with a system of shared content. This system can help platforms to design strategies for managing fake news, ensuring that it does not compromise information quality through its dissemination.
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The study ends with Jha questioning the broader implications of the research for both researchers and policymakers. It suggests that these findings could inform future technological decisions, particularly in how social media algorithms and platforms create connections and perspectives around information. The research contributes to a deeper understanding of the mechanisms behind fake news spread in hyper-connected world. Jha concludes that the study opens the door for further investigations into the factors that influence fake news, emphasizing the need for a more nuanced approach to evaluating information beyond mere truthfulness. Overall, the findings provide a foundation for improving the handling of fake news while maintaining social trust in a rapidly interconnected cyber world.