Journal article 19674 views 54 downloads
Exposure to social engagement metrics increases vulnerability to misinformation
,
Sameer Patil,
Filippo Menczer
Harvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review, Volume: 1, Issue: 5
Swansea University Author:
Nicholas Micallef
-
PDF | Version of Record
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License
Download (640.84KB)
DOI (Published version): 10.37016/mr-2020-033
Abstract
News feeds in virtually all social media plaƞorms include engagement metrics, such as the number of times each post is liked and shared. We find that exposure to these signals increases the vulnerability of users to low-credibility information in a simulated social media feed. This finding has impor...
| Published in: | Harvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 2766-1652 |
| Published: |
Shorenstein Center for Media, Politics, and Public Policy
2020
|
| Online Access: |
Check full text
|
| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa60580 |
| Abstract: |
News feeds in virtually all social media plaƞorms include engagement metrics, such as the number of times each post is liked and shared. We find that exposure to these signals increases the vulnerability of users to low-credibility information in a simulated social media feed. This finding has important implications for the design of social media interactions in the post-truth age. To reduce the spread of misinformation, we call for technology plaƞorms to rethink the display of social engagement metrics. Further research is needed to investigate how engagement metrics can be presented without amplifying the spread of low-credibility information. |
|---|---|
| College: |
Faculty of Science and Engineering |
| Funders: |
This research is supported in part by the Democracy Fund, Craig Newmark Philanthropies, and the Knight Foundation. |
| Issue: |
5 |