Disagreement as a way to study misinformation and its effects

Experts consider misinformation a significant societal concern due to its associated problems like political polarization, erosion of trust, and public health challenges. However, these broad effects can occur independently of misinformation, illustrating a misalignment with the narrow focus of the prevailing misinformation concept. We propose using disagreement—conflicting attitudes and beliefs—as a more effective framework for studying these effects. This approach, for example, reveals the limitations of current misinformation interventions and offers a method to empirically test whether we are living in a post-truth era.