You Didn't Hear This From Me: (Mostly) True Notes on Gossip

by Kelsey McKinney

If the last twenty years of American politics have taught us anything, it’s that it is more important to many people that something feel true to their personal experience than it is that it be factual. Conspiracy theories function on the same saturation premise that fake news does. The more you hear a story, the more likely you are to believe it. A 2015 psychological study found that knowledge does not hold enough weight to fully counter incorrect claims that are repeated.