We’ve all seen it happen and, more likely than not, we’ve all been guilty of it.
Sometimes people want to look smarter than they really are, sometimes people assume they’ll agree with the sentiment of an article based on a headline, but whatever the reason – everybody shares articles they haven’t read from time to time.
New evidence, published by computer scientists at Columbia University and the French National Institute, reveals that 59% of links that are shared have not been clicked.
This means that six out of the ten times you see an article get shared, the person who shared it hasn’t even read it yet.
What’s worse is that, according to the Chicago Tribune, “the study finds that these sort of blind peer-to-peer shares are really important in determining what news gets circulated and what just fades off the public radar.”
The results of the study suggest that a large subsection of people form their opinions based on synopses of the full story, and form strong enough opinions to share an article they believe represents their view.
So remember, the next time your know-it-all friend shares an article about Brexit beneath a haughty quip that took them 20 minutes to think of – there’s a 59% chance they haven’t even read it. Use this information to your advantage.
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