Why does social media amplify identity-driven misinformation?

People share false news to perform their identity, not just to inform

A major reason identity-driven misinformation spreads is that people share it to signal who they are to their social network, not because they believe it's accurate. A 2022 nationally representative survey of 2,005 UK social media users found that the strongest predictor of regularly amplifying exaggerated or false news was what researchers call 'identity-performative sharing motivations'—sharing to express one's values, group membership, or political stance [4]. This behavior was distinct from sharing to correct misinformation or to draw attention to it; it was specifically about performing identity. The same study found that right-wing ideology was also independently associated with this amplification, suggesting that political identity is a particularly powerful driver [4].

This finding helps explain why misinformation that targets a person's core identity—such as political affiliation, religious belief, or cultural group—spreads so aggressively. When sharing becomes an act of identity expression, accuracy checks take a back seat. The study also noted that increased use of Instagram for political news was linked to more amplification, hinting that different platforms' visual and social norms may further encourage this performative sharing [4].

Bots and algorithms supercharge identity-driven content

Automated accounts, or bots, are a major force behind the amplification of identity-driven misinformation. A 2021 analysis of known bot datasets found that up to 66% of bots were discussing COVID-19, meaning the majority of automated accounts were actively participating in the pandemic infodemic [3]. Bots are designed to exploit emotional and identity-based triggers—they post inflammatory, polarizing, or conspiratorial content that gets high engagement, which social media algorithms then prioritize [3]. This creates a feedback loop: bots produce identity-baiting content, algorithms boost it because it gets reactions, and human users, driven by identity-performative motivations, share it further [3][4].

The algorithms themselves are not neutral. As a 2025 review notes, social media platforms are designed to maximize engagement, and misinformation—especially content that triggers strong identity-based emotions—tends to get more views, likes, and shares than accurate information [1]. This is not an accident; it is a structural feature of the platform economy. The same review calls for systems-level changes, including international regulation, to address these root mechanisms [1]. A 2024 study on cancer misinformation confirms this pattern: inaccurate health posts consistently outperform accurate ones in engagement metrics, meaning the very design of social media rewards misleading content [2].

The downstream harm is real, but solutions exist at multiple levels

Identity-driven misinformation doesn't just stay online—it has tangible consequences. Exposure to health misinformation, for example, influences individuals' decisions, such as choosing not to vaccinate, and erodes trust in authoritative institutions like public health agencies [1]. A 2022 JAMA viewpoint emphasizes that combating this requires a multi-pronged approach: algorithmic adjustments, misinformation research and surveillance, and training for medical professionals to engage with communities online [5].

The 2025 review proposes a public health framework with three levels of prevention. Tertiary prevention includes monitoring, debunking, and warning labels on high-risk posts. Secondary prevention involves nudging interventions—like prompts that appear when someone tries to share potentially false content—and education to build media literacy. Primary prevention, which the authors argue is most urgently needed, requires systems-level changes and international law to regulate the social media industry [1]. Without such structural changes, the combination of identity-driven sharing, bots, and algorithmic amplification will continue to spread misinformation and its societal harms.

About These Sources

This answer is built on 5 peer-reviewed studies — published from 2021 to 2025, 2 from 2024 or later, 4 in Q1 journals, collectively cited 358 times — selected as the most relevant from 5 studies that passed quality screening, drawn from 41 papers retrieved from a database of over 500 million.

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