What It Is
Labels of "Get the latest," "Stay informed," or "Misleading" or similar, attached to posts that are not technically false but are easily and commonly misinterpreted.
For example, moderators of a Facebook group could label misleading posts and add links to reliable and recent information about topics, or point out logical fallacies in a specific post.
When To Use It
For all social media realms that rely on accurate information. This would come up when people are viewing content after it has been shared.
What Is Its Intended Impact
Cuts down on the spread of misinformation in the form of misinterpreted or intentionally distorted facts.
Evidence That It Works
Evidence That It Works
Yaqub et. al (2020) found that labeling online content as disputed reduced the likelihood of readers to share the labeled content (https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1145/3313831.3376213)
Why It Matters
Special Considerations
- Labeling some misinformation can lead to the "Implied Truth Effect": misleading information that is not labeled is seen as more likely to be true because it has not been labeled: https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/10.1287/mnsc.2019.3478
- There is some evidence than labeling misinformation is marginally less effective than debunking it after the fact: https://www.pnas.org/content/118/5/e2020043118)
Examples
Citations
Real Solutions for Fake News? Measuring the Effectiveness of General Warnings and Fact‑Check Tags in Reducing Belief in False Stories on Social Media
Timing matters when correcting fake news
Effects of Credibility Indicators on Social Media News Sharing Intent
The Implied Truth Effect: Attaching Warnings to a Subset of Fake News Headlines Increases Perceived Accuracy of Headlines Without Warnings
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