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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons™
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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Knowledge Is Power…To Misinform: Examining How Knowledge Gaps Affect Engagement With Covid-19 Misinformation, Ben Wasike
Knowledge Is Power…To Misinform: Examining How Knowledge Gaps Affect Engagement With Covid-19 Misinformation, Ben Wasike
Communication Faculty Publications and Presentations
This study examined how the knowledge gap hypothesis (KGH), the belief gap hypothesis (BGH), partisan media use, and interpersonal discussion affected COVID-19 knowledge and social media engagement (SME) with related misinformation. The KGH partially affected knowledge and reduced SME with misinformation regarding income. The BGH increased knowledge and reduced SME with misinformation among Liberals. Right-leaning media use and interpersonal discussion increased SME with misinformation respectively. Overall, knowledge was inversely associated with SME with misinformation.
You've Been Fact-Checked! Examining The Effectiveness Of Social Media Fact-Checking Against The Spread Of Misinformation, Ben Wasike
Communication Faculty Publications and Presentations
Using a random sample of active social media users (N = 1,156), this study examined the effectiveness of social media fact-checking against online misinformation sharing. Data indicates that these fact-checks are minimally effective in stopping the spread of misinformation on social media. Being aware of the fact-checks, being fact-checked, or even having content deleted from one's account were not deterrents to sharing misinformation. The fear of isolation was the strongest deterrent, suggesting that account freezes, suspensions, or bans were the most effective ways to curtail the spread of misinformation. The study contributes to research on fact-checking, to research on …
When The Influencer Says Jump! How Influencer Signaling Affects Engagement With Covid-19 Misinformation, Ben Wasike
When The Influencer Says Jump! How Influencer Signaling Affects Engagement With Covid-19 Misinformation, Ben Wasike
Communication Faculty Publications and Presentations
With signaling theory, credibility, and social media engagement (SME) as guiding frameworks, this study used an experiment to examine how social media influencers (SMIs) affect how people engage with COVID-19 misinformation. SMI-promoted information elicited more SME, credibility, and purchase likelihood than non-SMI promoted information. The most effective message was a post promoted by an SMI that contained detailed information about an authentic product. However, data indicated nuance regarding the effect of SMIs. The authenticity of the information as well as the amount of detail in the post played a role. Additionally, mediated effects analysis showed that the impact of SME …