Debunking Online Misinformation with Empathy – an Experimental Study.
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2026-01-14
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en
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Individuals are increasingly exposed to misinformation due to the widespread dissemination of false information on social media. Influenced by cognitive limitations, individuals must largely rely on themselves in the process of assessing the present (mis)information. = However, in terms of online misinformation, debunking is often insufficient to completely rectify the false claims. Previous research suggests that the use of empathy may contribute to effective debunking. To this end, this study examined whether the integration of three different types of empathy enhances the debunking process. In an online experiment (N = 128), participants were exposed to misinformation, presented in a TikTok video, followed by a column containing the empathic refutation using either cognitive, affective, compassionate, or no empathy. The measurement of the effectiveness of these types of empathy in countering misinformation was based on the belief in the misinformation, the attitude towards the subject, the trust in the source, and the sharing intention of the content. Affective empathy significantly lowered the credibility of the source, whereas the otheother types of empathy did not significantly affect the influence of misinformation.
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Faculteit der Letteren