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Political observers have been troubled by the rise of online misinformation—a concern that has grown as we approach Election Day. However, while the spread of fake news may pose threats, a new study finds that its influence is not universal. Rather, users with extreme political views are more likely than others are to both encounter and believe false news.

"Misinformation is a serious issue on social media, but its impact is not uniform," says Christopher K. Tokita, the lead author of the study, conducted by New York University's Center for Social Media and Politics (CSMaP).

The findings, which appear in PNAS Nexus, also indicate that current methods to combat the spread of misinformation are likely not viable—and that the most effective way to address it is to implement interventions quickly and to target them toward users most likely to be vulnerable to these falsehoods.

"Because these extreme users also tend to see misinformation early on, current social media interventions often struggle to curb its impact—they are typically too slow to prevent exposure among those most receptive to it," adds Zeve Sanderson, executive director of CSMaP.

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