The effectiveness of an identity-based intervention in reducing the self-reported likelihood of sharing misinformation in a Dutch setting.
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2023-07-04
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nl
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This study investigated the effectiveness of an identity-based intervention in reducing the self-reported likelihood of sharing misinformation in a Dutch context. The study aimed to investigate the effect of implementing a Misleading count, on the self-reported likelihood of sharing misinformation. Within the context of Twitter, the Misleading count is a numerical value visible alongside other numeric metrics such as the Like count, and it represents the number of individuals that identified the presented content as misleading. In particular, the present study compared the effect of a Misleading count reflecting opinions from individuals’ in-groups, as identity-based intervention, to the effect of a Misleading count reflecting general users’ opinions. Additionally, it was examined whether perceived affective polarization moderates the impact of the identity-based intervention. In an experiment, Dutch participants (N = 403) saw Twitter tweets containing politically congruent misinformation purportedly generated by a political leader from their in-group. Participants were either exposed to tweets with a Misleading count or tweets without Misleading count (In-group Misleading count vs. General-users Misleading count vs. No Misleading count). It was found that both a Misleading count reflecting individuals’ in-group’s opinion and a Misleading count reflecting general users’ opinion, were ineffective in decreasing individuals’ self-reported likelihood of sharing misinformation compared to the absence of an intervention. Moreover, it appeared that perceived affective polarization did not influence the effectiveness of the identity-based intervention (Misleading count reflecting the in-group’s opinion). Consequently, the results suggest that implementing a Misleading count is ineffective in reducing the self-reported likelihood of sharing misinformation in a Dutch context. Additionally, it indicated that perceived affective polarization does not moderate the impact of the identity-based intervention on the self-reported likelihood of sharing misinformation.
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