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Exposure to social engagement metrics increases vulnerability to misinformation

Mihai Avram, Nicholas Micallef Orcid Logo, Sameer Patil, Filippo Menczer

Harvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review, Volume: 1, Issue: 5

Swansea University Author: Nicholas Micallef Orcid Logo

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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...

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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
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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