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Lazer D, Swire-Thompson B, Wilson C. A Normative Framework for Assessing the Information Curation Algorithms of the Internet. PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2024; 19:749-757. [PMID: 38010888 DOI: 10.1177/17456916231186779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
It is critical to understand how algorithms structure the information people see and how those algorithms support or undermine society's core values. We offer a normative framework for the assessment of the information curation algorithms that determine much of what people see on the internet. The framework presents two levels of assessment: one for individual-level effects and another for systemic effects. With regard to individual-level effects we discuss whether (a) the information is aligned with the user's interests, (b) the information is accurate, and (c) the information is so appealing that it is difficult for a person's self-regulatory resources to ignore ("agency hacking"). At the systemic level we discuss whether (a) there are adverse civic-level effects on a system-level variable, such as political polarization; (b) there are negative distributional or discriminatory effects; and (c) there are anticompetitive effects, with the information providing an advantage to the platform. The objective of this framework is both to inform the direction of future scholarship as well as to offer tools for intervention for policymakers.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Lazer
- Khoury College of Computer Sciences, Northeastern University
- Department of Political Science, Northeastern University
- Network Science Institute, Northeastern University
| | - Briony Swire-Thompson
- Department of Political Science, Northeastern University
- Network Science Institute, Northeastern University
- Department of Psychology, Northeastern University
| | - Christo Wilson
- Khoury College of Computer Sciences, Northeastern University
- Network Science Institute, Northeastern University
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Ishizumi A, Kolis J, Abad N, Prybylski D, Brookmeyer KA, Voegeli C, Wardle C, Chiou H. Beyond misinformation: developing a public health prevention framework for managing information ecosystems. Lancet Public Health 2024; 9:e397-e406. [PMID: 38648815 PMCID: PMC11369959 DOI: 10.1016/s2468-2667(24)00031-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2023] [Revised: 02/14/2024] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted how infodemics (defined as an overabundance of information, including misinformation and disinformation) pose a threat to public health and could hinder individuals from making informed health decisions. Although public health authorities and other stakeholders have implemented measures for managing infodemics, existing frameworks for infodemic management have been primarily focused on responding to acute health emergencies rather than integrated in routine service delivery. We review the evidence and propose a framework for infodemic management that encompasses upstream strategies and provides guidance on identifying different interventions, informed by the four levels of prevention in public health: primary, secondary, tertiary, and primordial prevention. On the basis of a narrative review of 54 documents (peer-reviewed and grey literature published from 1961 to 2023), we present examples of interventions that belong to each level of prevention. Adopting this framework requires proactive prevention and response through managing information ecosystems, beyond reacting to misinformation or disinformation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atsuyoshi Ishizumi
- Task Force for Global Health, Decatur, GA, USA; US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Jessica Kolis
- US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
| | - Neetu Abad
- US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | | | | | | | - Claire Wardle
- School of Public Health, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Howard Chiou
- US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA; Commissioned Corps, US Public Health Service, Rockville, MD, USA
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Swire-Thompson B, Johnson S. Cancer: A model topic for misinformation researchers. Curr Opin Psychol 2024; 56:101775. [PMID: 38101247 PMCID: PMC10939853 DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2023.101775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Revised: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/24/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
Although cancer might seem like a niche subject, we argue that it is a model topic for misinformation researchers, and an ideal area of application given its importance for society. We first discuss the prevalence of cancer misinformation online and how it has the potential to cause harm. We next examine the financial incentives for those who profit from disinformation dissemination, how people with cancer are a uniquely vulnerable population, and why trust in science and medical professionals is particularly relevant to this topic. We finally discuss how belief in cancer misinformation has clear objective consequences and can be measured with treatment adherence and health outcomes such as mortality. In sum, cancer misinformation could assist the characterization of misinformation beliefs and be used to develop tools to combat misinformation in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Briony Swire-Thompson
- Northeastern University, Network Science Institute, Department of Political Science, Department of Psychology, 177 Huntington Ave, Boston, USA.
| | - Skyler Johnson
- University of Utah, Huntsman Cancer Institute, 1950 Circle of Hope Dr, Salt Lake City, USA
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Prike T, Butler LH, Ecker UKH. Source-credibility information and social norms improve truth discernment and reduce engagement with misinformation online. Sci Rep 2024; 14:6900. [PMID: 38519569 PMCID: PMC10960008 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-57560-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Misinformation on social media is a pervasive challenge. In this study (N = 415) a social-media simulation was used to test two potential interventions for countering misinformation: a credibility badge and a social norm. The credibility badge was implemented by associating accounts, including participants', with a credibility score. Participants' credibility score was dynamically updated depending on their engagement with true and false posts. To implement the social-norm intervention, participants were provided with both a descriptive norm (i.e., most people do not share misinformation) and an injunctive norm (i.e., sharing misinformation is the wrong thing to do). Both interventions were effective. The social-norm intervention led to reduced belief in false claims and improved discrimination between true and false claims. It also had some positive impact on social-media engagement, although some effects were not robust to alternative analysis specifications. The presence of credibility badges led to greater belief in true claims, lower belief in false claims, and improved discrimination. The credibility-badge intervention also had robust positive impacts on social-media engagement, leading to increased flagging and decreased liking and sharing of false posts. Cumulatively, the results suggest that both interventions have potential to combat misinformation and improve the social-media information landscape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toby Prike
- School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.
- School of Psychology, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia.
| | - Lucy H Butler
- School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
| | - Ullrich K H Ecker
- School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
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Geers M, Swire-Thompson B, Lorenz-Spreen P, Herzog SM, Kozyreva A, Hertwig R. The Online Misinformation Engagement Framework. Curr Opin Psychol 2024; 55:101739. [PMID: 38091666 DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2023.101739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Revised: 11/01/2023] [Accepted: 11/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/28/2024]
Abstract
Research on online misinformation has evolved rapidly, but organizing its results and identifying open research questions is difficult without a systematic approach. We present the Online Misinformation Engagement Framework, which classifies people's engagement with online misinformation into four stages: selecting information sources, choosing what information to consume or ignore, evaluating the accuracy of the information and/or the credibility of the source, and judging whether and how to react to the information (e.g., liking or sharing). We outline entry points for interventions at each stage and pinpoint the two early stages-source and information selection-as relatively neglected processes that should be addressed to further improve people's ability to contend with misinformation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Geers
- Center for Adaptive Rationality, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Lentzeallee 94, 14195 Berlin, Germany; Department of Psychology, Humboldt University of Berlin, Rudower Ch. 18, 12489 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Briony Swire-Thompson
- Network Science Institute, Northeastern University, 177 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA, 02115, USA; Institute for Quantitative Social Science, Harvard University, 1737 Cambridge St., Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
| | - Philipp Lorenz-Spreen
- Center for Adaptive Rationality, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Lentzeallee 94, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Stefan M Herzog
- Center for Adaptive Rationality, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Lentzeallee 94, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Anastasia Kozyreva
- Center for Adaptive Rationality, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Lentzeallee 94, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Ralph Hertwig
- Center for Adaptive Rationality, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Lentzeallee 94, 14195 Berlin, Germany
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Prike T, Ecker UKH. Effective correction of misinformation. Curr Opin Psychol 2023; 54:101712. [PMID: 37944323 DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2023.101712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2023] [Revised: 10/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
This paper reviews correction effectiveness, highlighting which factors matter, which do not, and where further research is needed. To boost effectiveness, we recommend using detailed corrections and providing an alternative explanation wherever possible. We also recommend providing a reminder of the initial misinformation and repeating the correction. Presenting corrections pre-emptively (i.e., prebunking) or after misinformation exposure is unlikely to greatly impact correction effectiveness. There is also limited risk of repeating misinformation within a correction or that a correction will inadvertently spread misinformation to new audiences. Further research is needed into which correction formats are most effective, whether boosting correction memorability can enhance effectiveness, the effectiveness of discrediting a misinformation source, and whether distrusted correction sources can contribute to corrections backfiring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toby Prike
- School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.
| | - Ullrich K H Ecker
- School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
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Prike T, Blackley P, Swire-Thompson B, Ecker UKH. Examining the replicability of backfire effects after standalone corrections. Cogn Res Princ Implic 2023; 8:39. [PMID: 37395864 DOI: 10.1186/s41235-023-00492-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Corrections are a frequently used and effective tool for countering misinformation. However, concerns have been raised that corrections may introduce false claims to new audiences when the misinformation is novel. This is because boosting the familiarity of a claim can increase belief in that claim, and thus exposing new audiences to novel misinformation-even as part of a correction-may inadvertently increase misinformation belief. Such an outcome could be conceptualized as a familiarity backfire effect, whereby a familiarity boost increases false-claim endorsement above a control-condition or pre-correction baseline. Here, we examined whether standalone corrections-that is, corrections presented without initial misinformation exposure-can backfire and increase participants' reliance on the misinformation in their subsequent inferential reasoning, relative to a no-misinformation, no-correction control condition. Across three experiments (total N = 1156) we found that standalone corrections did not backfire immediately (Experiment 1) or after a one-week delay (Experiment 2). However, there was some mixed evidence suggesting corrections may backfire when there is skepticism regarding the correction (Experiment 3). Specifically, in Experiment 3, we found the standalone correction to backfire in open-ended responses, but only when there was skepticism towards the correction. However, this did not replicate with the rating scales measure. Future research should further examine whether skepticism towards the correction is the first replicable mechanism for backfire effects to occur.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toby Prike
- School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.
| | - Phoebe Blackley
- School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
| | - Briony Swire-Thompson
- Network Science Institute, Northeastern University, Boston, USA
- Institute of Quantitative Social Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, USA
| | - Ullrich K H Ecker
- School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
- Public Policy Institute, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
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van der Linden S. We need a gold standard for randomised control trials studying misinformation and vaccine hesitancy on social media. BMJ 2023; 381:1007. [PMID: 37146997 DOI: 10.1136/bmj.p1007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
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