The Impact of Affect on the Perception of Fake News on Social Media: A Systematic Review

Social media platforms, which are ripe with emotionally charged pieces of information, are vulnerable to the dissemination of vast amounts of misinformation. Little is known about the affective processing that underlies peoples’ belief in and dissemination of fake news on social media, with the research on fake news predominantly focusing on cognitive processing aspects. This study presents a systematic review of the impact of affective constructs on the perception of fake news on social media platforms. A comprehensive literature search was conducted in the SCOPUS and Web of Science databases to identify relevant articles on the topics of affect, misinformation, disinformation, and fake news. A total of 31 empirical articles were obtained and analyzed. Seven research themes and four research gaps emerged from this review. The findings of this review complement the existing literature on the cognitive mechanisms behind how people perceive fake news on social media. This can have implications for technology platforms, governments, and citizens interested in combating infodemics.