The Politics of Misinformation: Fake News, Echo Chambers, and Public Perception

Abstract: Social media is an effective communication tool, and this dramatically impacts public opinion in political, social, and regional discourse. This review study focuses on the role of social media in the broader debate of public understanding of political issues. It provides a framework for thinking about the problem of misinformation. Drawing from a sample of 47 research papers using rigorous inclusion and exclusion criteria and the PRISMA approach, the current study gathered and synthesized the findings of publications from the era of 2016–2025. The literature review points out that echo chambers, during which consumers are mainly exposed to content that repeats their prior beliefs, are a major cause of misinformation and fake news amplification, and thus distorted narratives are further reinforced. This dynamic exacerbates political polarization, undermines public confidence in institutions, and increases the gap of polarization in politics. The findings suggest that the complexity of misinformation in the digital age entails multi-disciplinary methods to address its societal impact to address its societal impact to effectively address its societal impact. The review emphasizes that awareness-raising and providing critical tools for identifying misinformation are necessary and urges policymakers, media organizations, and social platforms to work together to lessen the negative impact of fake news on public perceptions and democracy. Such insights will provide a foundation for future research to design interventions to mitigate the spread of misinformation in political discourse.Keywords: Misinformation, Polarization, Digital, Perception, PRISMA