Phys.org

People are influenced by unreliable information yet remain aware of its influence on their decisions

Every day, people make decisions based on information obtained from social media, news outlets, online reviews and interpersonal communication, all of which vary in reliability. Numerical indicators and labels designed to convey information reliability, such as user ratings and fact-checking systems, have become increasingly common online. However, an important question remains: When reliability is explicitly stated, do people use this information appropriately for making decisions?