What seems likely to me is that people share obviously fake news not because they see it has a lot of likes but because it confirms things they already believe.
What they see is often determined by those counts in the first place, and what people decide to read/comment/share is more often than not because a post has a lot of likes/comments. Then they share it to get likes for them self.
If the only incentive to read/share/comment was a genuine understanding or willingness to share and participate the entire space would be different.
If the only incentive to read/share/comment was a genuine understanding or willingness to share and participate the entire space would be different.