Why does fake news travel faster than actual stories

1) Difference between causation and correlation is one of the hardest things to understand. The 5G conspiracy theory is a good example

2) Social networks favor novelty. We’re trained to be trend setter or jump on trends quickly, and to think that if it isn’t original it won’t get engagement

3) Actual news takes a lot of time to fact check and during that confusion any narrative can sound true

4) A lot of times fake news is a way for people to confirm their superstitions, theories and beliefs

5) Fake news generates more debate because both people who believe the story and people who don’t will spread it with their own commentary

You can also check out this research on the MIT website which serves as an inspiration for this thread http://news.mit.edu/2018/study-twitter-false-news-travels-faster-true-stories-0308