Exploring Dehumanization and Infrahumanization as Underlying Factors in Misinformation Belief and Spread

Weiss, Andrew, Ghosh, Souvick and Johnson, Frances ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0632-9790 (2025) Exploring Dehumanization and Infrahumanization as Underlying Factors in Misinformation Belief and Spread. In: Proceedings of the Annual Conference of CAIS. Presented at Annual Conference of Canadian Association of Information Science / Actes du congrès annuel de l'ACSI, 27 May 2025 - 29 May 2025, Dalhousie University, Canada.

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Abstract

An examination of the literature in misinformation research shows a gap in the area of dehumanization and the related phenomenon of infrahumanization, each of which demonstrates how individuals reduce the human characteristics of others in blatant or subtle ways. This paper examines dehumanizing and infrahumanizing behavior as potential motives and user characteristics in the spread of and belief in misinformation. It is theorized that attitudes expressed against outgroup members reflect the degree to which one infrahumanizes others, with the result that one might more willingly believe and spread misinformation about a targeted outgroup. This paper contributes to the literature in its suggestion of a novel and understudied area in misinformation, identifying key concepts and important considerations for advancing the field of misinformation studies.