Genta Abdiji – Student Intern at MeDisInfo *
How are people’s emotions misused to spread disinformation?
In the modern days of the spread of information, where technology has targeted the communication and the spread of news, the term ‘’disinformation’’ has become an elementary and undeniable challenge. One of the most common tactics for the spread of disinformation is the misuse of people’s emotions. As an important component of human nature, emotions become victims of the manipulation strategies for a lot of different purposes and their process.
The virtual network has replaced in every possible theory our real world by starting with one of the simplest examples: messages and calls have taken the place of the eye-to-eye contact while weakening at the same time the verbal communication skills. This manipulation is reached by using the human feelings, starting with fear, anger and sympathy, so the false information would become more convincing and overshared. This is made through intense or ‘’dramatic’’ titles, images that hold emotional weight or unilaterally content that is supposed to initiate strong reactions, just to ignore the idea of critical thinking and so to influence the viral sharing.
One of the current examples that is analyzed on this paper is the news about a Facebook picture shared on March 25 2024, where some women are posing while holding some flowers and certificates, while the point of the disinformation is to pretend that they are awarded with money for reporting their husbands to the authorities of mobilization in Ukraine.
The element that highlights the disinformation is a post shared in North Macedonia with the description: ‘’What should I say?’’.
On April 17 2024 vertetmates.mk verified that the statement was actually false because in the municipality of Lozovo in Kharkiv there was a picture taken with seven women in it holding certificates and flowers which is seen in the description that says: ‘’The council of the city of Lozovo’’. They found out by an article about the event at portalit 2024press.
In conclusion, the people in the picture weren’t awarded about registering their husbands in the military, but they were some women from the urban territorial community of Lozovo, who have developed some projects and the mayor has thanked them. This disinformation led to a great misinterpretation by the audience and it expressed a manipulative idea.
Furthermore, several people in the field of psychology shared with us their professional perspective on the question “How are people’s emotions misused to spread disinformation?”
With a thoughtful perspective, Elira Luzha, a psychology student at the University of Tetova, comments:
“Psychologically, what I would have said about your question is that in general this happens more to people who may not have high emotional control and lack critical thinking, and this is probably because we have not cultivated it or encouraged it from a young age. Normally, when we react with emotions, we are very subjective and do not evaluate objectively and clearly, but as we really want. Since emotions are a mechanism that is put into operation immediately, it is difficult to hold back, and this reaction is what the media today is looking for. They are usually emotions of sadness or joy, and the person reacts immediately because he feels them as such, loses criticism and can receive information without first verifying it. It is normal that the media are aware of the most common appearances that people make and use them in different ways. Since those negative or positive phenomena are done by the individual himself, the moment he sees them in the media, he feels comfortable and as if he creates a kind of indirect support when he reads news about the same action that someone else has done. Another issue is our technological incompetence, as we adopted it late even as users and lack the skills to verify fake sources. When emotion prevails, we express our anger, leaving no room for accuracy. Non-professional media exploit this deficiency and profit by using “emotional” topics.”
In debating about how media looks friendly in our eyes but in fact it takes further more from ourselves, from an astonishing and professional perspective, Sabrije Tefiki, a Teaching Assistant of Psychology in the University of Tetova answered our question:
‘’Disinformation is spread in an effective way by using human emotions, which attract the attention of people and reduce critical thinking. The emotionally weighted content makes the information unforgettable and trustworthy, often while bypassing the rational evaluation of it.
The social impact and the emotional involvement strengthen even more this effect, because people adapt their emotions and beliefs with those of the people who surround them, so they won’t experience the phenomenon called cognitive dissonance. The education of the audience when it comes to emotional manipulation and the promotion of critical thinking can help in the counteraction of this phenomenon. While understanding these psychological mechanisms, we can influence a well-informed society and a more vigilant one’’.
We had the opportunity to talk with Fisnik Eger, a psychology student at the University of Prishtina, sharing his point of view on what he has observed throughout the years:
‘’The phenomenon of the misuse of human emotions for the purpose of spreading disinformation uses the psychological mechanisms of emotional arousal and cognitive biases. While causing strong emotions like anxiety, anger, or sensitivity, people (the manipulators) can bypass critical thinking and can increase the chances of spreading false information. This exploitation is also enabled by the heuristic influence, where the emotions drive decisions, often leading to the rapid distribution of disinformation within the audience”.
He also points out that:
“The act of spreading disinformation by manipulating human emotions uses a wide number of psychological mechanisms. In particular, it participates in the process of emotional arousal, where the induction of strong emotions such as terror, irritation and empathy can have a profound effect on a person’s cognitive processing, as individuals experience an emotional state in higher forms. The affect heuristic is a psychological shortcut through which emotional responses affect decision-making. When there is emotional arousal, people are more supportive too much in their immediate emotional responses rather than engaging in it reflective thinking. This tendency can lead to the ease with which disinformation is spread, accepted and not challenged, as emotional information masks the need for evidence and logical reasoning. Distributors of disinformation skillfully use sensory information to capture the attention of the audience and to carry out the persuasions that are in the interest of their personal. By creating emotive messages, they create an urgency and importance that compels individuals to share information with others, often without looking or confirming authenticity. In summary, providing disinformation by manipulating audience emotions is a deliberate strategy to manipulate the interaction of emotional stimuli and understanding cognitive biases.’’
Meanwhile, when we talk about the manipulation of human feelings, we asked Sara Boci, BSc in Psychology and Cognitive Science from the Università degli Studi di Trento & member of the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) in London to share her professional perspective about the impact of this phenomenon on our daily life. Boci highlighted that:
‘’Emotional manipulation to capture attention is not merely commonplace but embraced as a transactional norm, where our emotions serve as a currency. This is deeply dangerous, as media outlets are becoming increasingly interested not in our genuine engagement or informing us, but solely in holding our attention.
Strong emotions put us in a highly susceptible state, making us more vulnerable to believe and share disinformation. The addictive nature of seeking emotional highs influences our everyday lives too, making us less interested in casual conversations with friends and more drawn to intense relationships that may not be truly beneficial.
This loss of faith in capturing genuine interest without such tactics underscores a profound societal shift.
Recognizing this change we are going through is crucial. We must actively seek ways to counteract them in our daily life, fostering an appreciation for nuanced stories built on trust and genuine engagement. Prioritizing grounding slow communication can help rewire our brains, allowing us to appreciate more subtle and authentic connections. This approach not only enhances our resilience against disinformation but also promotes healthier, more balanced interactions, and we all need them’’.
Only through increasing overall awareness and media and information literacy in society, we can construct a generation protected from the dangers of disinformation as a phenomenon, and at the same time contribute to a healthier public dialogue.
Manipulation threatens the well-being and misuse of emotional state affects social cohesion and increases the percentage of a misinformed and wrongly oriented society.
* Genta Abdiji is a third year student of International Communication, Faculty of Languages, Cultures and Communication, South East European University
** The featured image is created with OpenArt.
