THE PSYCHO-EMOTIVE EFFECTS OF AI-GENERATED FAKE NEWS ON SOCIAL MEDIA USERS

Authors

Keywords:

AI-generated, fake news, misinformation, social media, psycho-emotive effects, cognitive process, socio-political polarization, emotional reaction

Abstract

The mass spread of AI-generated fake news on social media platforms has become a challenging issue for users' mental health, societal trust, and behavioral patterns. While social media serves as powerful platform for mass communication, it also accelerates widespread dissemination of misinformation, especially with the help of AI-powered technologies, which are capable of generating and circulating fake news on an unprecedented scale on a daily basis.

This study makes an attempt to examine the psycho-emotive effects of AI-generated fake news on social media users, focusing on the emotional responses, cognitive processes, and behavioral changes triggered by exposure to such content. A mixed-methods approach has been employed to collect data from social media users. The findings illustrate that AI-generated fake news can evoke feelings of anxiety, mistrust, and confusion, leading to decreased self-esteem, social withdrawal, and diminished trust in social institutions. Moreover, the findings clearly indicate that individuals with lower critical thinking skills  are more susceptible to the negative psycho-emotive effects of AI-generated fake news. The study's outcomes highlight the need for developing strategies for suspending the spread of AI-generated fake news and promoting media literacy, critical thinking, and emotional resilience among social media users with different linguistic and cultural backgrounds.

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Author Biographies

  • Gevorg Grigoryan, Nanchang Polytechnic University

    Ph.D in Philology

    Published over 25 scholarly articles

  • Salah Eddine Salmi, Ibn Tofaïl University

    PhD, Adjunct lecturer: Hefei University of Sciences and Technology

  • Ning Huichun, MARA University of Technology

    PhD.

    Vice-director of International Cooperation & Exchange Department, Mara Teknologi University, Malaysia

  • Jingjing Shi, Taizhou Vocational and Technical College

    PhD

    Institute of International Communication

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Published

2026-05-26

Issue

Vol. 9 No. 1(18) (2026): Modern Psychology

Section

Articles

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Copyright (c) 2026 Gevorg Grigoryan, Salah Eddine Salmi, Ning Huichun, Jingjing Shi

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Grigoryan, G., Eddine Salmi, S., Huichun, N., & Shi, J. (2026). THE PSYCHO-EMOTIVE EFFECTS OF AI-GENERATED FAKE NEWS ON SOCIAL MEDIA USERS. Modern Psychology, 9(1(18), 34-63. https://journals.ysu.am/modern-psychology/article/view/13367