Misinformation and the aging American : the paradox of engagement and truth discernment / Benjamin Lyons.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Lyons, Benjamin, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Mass media and older people--United States.

Mass media and older people.

Misinformation--United States.

Misinformation.

United States.

Physical Description:

1 online resource : illustrations

illustration

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : Oxford University Press, [2026]

Summary:

Why do older adults engage more with misinformation online, even when they often identify falsehoods correctly in surveys? Benjamin Lyons investigates this paradox using a host of survey experiments and behavioural trace data. Ultimately, 'Misinformation and the Aging American' argues that the age-misinformation relationship is less about cognitive vulnerability than about complex interactions between identity, social context, and the media environment. Mitigation efforts, therefore, must address not only skills but also supply structures, audience demand, and social media dynamics that shape behaviour in later life.

Contents:

Exposure and belief

Media literacy across the lifespan

Cognitive aging is not all decline

Who cares about the truth, anyway?

Aging and partisanship

Accounting for asymmetry

Looking beyond politics

Matters of modality

Conclusion: So what, and what now?

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from digital title page (Oxford Academic, viewed on October 28, 2026).

Other Format:

Print version : Lyons, Benjamin. Misinformation and the aging American.

ISBN:

9780197817711

0197817718

9780197817698

0197817696

OCLC:

1609299056

Publisher Number:

CIPO000424504

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license