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Research on Misinformation and Social Networking Sites

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Empowering Human Dynamics Research with Social Media and Geospatial Data Analytics

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Abstract

This chapter offers a critical review of research on misinformation and social networking sites (SNSs). Using keywords related to misinformation and SNSs, this review examines relevant scholarship published since 2004. Content of relevant articles is summarized in terms of examined contexts, involved disciplines (e.g., public health, communication), methodological approaches, use of theory, and solutions presently offered for addressing this important problem. Disinformation and fake news are also included in the scope of this review. Current trends in research on misinformation and SNSs will be discussed. Results of this review suggest that misinformation on SNSs represents an issue facing many fields without a clear or easy solution. Four recommendations are derived from the present review: (1) performance of additional research on platforms other than Facebook or Twitter; (2) clarification of conceptualizations of misinformation and increased consistency in usage of terms; (3) greater integration of theory for enhancing understanding of how misinformation spreads and how to best correct misinformation once it proliferates on SNSs; and (4) promotion of interdisciplinary collaborations among researches investigating misinformation and SNSs. Directions for future research are also provided.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    See Appendix.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Communication, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA

    Lourdes S. Martinez

Authors
  1. Lourdes S. Martinez
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Correspondence to Lourdes S. Martinez .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA

    Atsushi Nara

  2. Department of Geography, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA

    Ming-Hsiang Tsou

Appendix—44 Reviewed Articles

Appendix—44 Reviewed Articles

  1. 1.

    Allcott, H., & Gentzkow, M. (2017). Social media and fake news in the 2016 election. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 31, 211–236.

  2. 2.

    Al-Rawi, A. (2019). Gatekeeping fake news discourses on mainstream media versus social media. Social Science Computer Review, 37, 687–704.

  3. 3.

    Andorfer, A. (2017). Spreading like wildfire: Solutions for abating the fake news problem on social media via technology controls and government regulation notes. Hastings Law Journal, 69, 1409–1432.

  4. 4.

    Arianto, R., Warnars, H. L. H. S., Abdurachman, E., Heryadi, Y., & Gaol, F. L. (2019). The architecture social media and online newspaper credibility measurement for fake news detection. Telkomnika, 17, 738–744.

  5. 5.

    Barfar, A. (2019). Cognitive and affective responses to political disinformation in Facebook. Computers in Human Behavior, 101, 173–179.

  6. 6.

    Bessi, A. (2017). On the statistical properties of viral misinformation in online social media. Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, 469, 459–470.

  7. 7.

    Bode, L., & Vraga, E. K. (2015). In related news, that was wrong: The correction of misinformation through related stories functionality in social media. Journal of Communication, 65, 619–638.

  8. 8.

    Borges, P. M., & Gambarato, R. R. (2019). The role of beliefs and behavior on facebook: A semiotic approach to algorithms, fake news, and transmedia journalism.

  9. 9.

    Bradshaw, S., & Howard, P. N. (2018). The global organization of social media disinformation campaigns. Journal of International Affairs, 71, 23–32.

  10. 10.

    Brummette, J., DiStaso, M., Vafeiadis, M., & Messner, M. (2018). Read all about it: The politicization of “fake news” on Twitter. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 95, 497–517.

  11. 11.

    Chamberlain, P. R. (2010). Twitter as a vector for disinformation. Journal of Information Warfare, 9, 11–17.

  12. 12.

    Chen, X., Sin, S.-C. J., Theng, Y.-L., & Lee, C. S. (2015). Why students share misinformation on social media: Motivation, gender, and study-level differences. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 41, 583–592.

  13. 13.

    Chou, W.-Y. S., Oh, A., & Klein, W. M. P. (2018). Addressing health-related misinformation on social media. JAMA, 320, 2417–2418.

  14. 14.

    Colliander, J. (2019). “This is fake news”: Investigating the role of conformity to other users’ views when commenting on and spreading disinformation in social media. Computers in Human, Behavior, 97, 202–215.

  15. 15.

    Densley, J., Dexter, K., & Eckberg, D. A. (2018). When legend becomes fact, tweet the legend. Journal of Behavioral and Social Sciences, 5, 148–156.

  16. 16.

    Fielden, A., Grupač, M., & Adamko, P. (2018). How users validate the information they encounter on digital content platforms: The production and proliferation of fake social media news, the likelihood of consumer exposure, and online deceptions. Geopolitics, History, and International Relations, 10, 51–57.

  17. 17.

    Frish, Y., & Greenbaum, D. (2017). Is social media a cesspool of misinformation? Clearing a path for patient-friendly safe spaces online. The American Journal of Bioethics, 17, 19–21.

  18. 18.

    Fung, I. C.-H., Fu, K.-W., Chan, C.-H., Chan, B. S. B., Cheung, C.-N., Abraham, T., & Tse, Z. T. H. (2016). Social media’s initial reaction to information and misinformation on Ebola, August 2014: Facts and Rumors. Public Health Reports, 131, 461–473.

  19. 19.

    Gerbaudo, P. (2018). Fake news and all-too-real emotions: Surveying the social media battlefield. Brown Journal of World Affairs, 25, 85.

  20. 20.

    Grinberg, N., Joseph, K., Friedland, L., Swire-Thompson, B., & Lazer, D. (2019). Fake news on Twitter during the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Science, 363, 374–378.

  21. 21.

    Guarda, R. F., Ohlson, M. P., & Romanini, A. V. (2018). Disinformation, dystopia and post-reality in social media: A semiotic-cognitive perspective. Education and Information Technologies, 34, 185–197.

  22. 22.

    Ho, A., McGrath, C., & Mattheos, N. (2017). Social media patient testimonials in implant dentistry: Information or misinformation? Clinical Oral Implants Research, 28, 791–800.

  23. 23.

    Jones, M. O. (2019). The Gulf information war| propaganda, fake news, and fake trends: The weaponization of Twitter Bots in the Gulf Crisis. International Journal of Communication, 13, 27.

  24. 24.

    Kim, A., & Dennis, A. R. (2019) Says who? The effects of presentation format and source rating on fake news in social media. MIS Quarterly, 43, 1025–1039.

  25. 25.

    Kraski, R. (2018). Combating fake news in social media: U.S. and German legal approaches. St. John's Law Review, 91.

  26. 26.

    Loeb, S., Sengupta, S., Butaney, M., et al. (2019). Dissemination of misinformative and biased information about prostate cancer on YouTube. European Urology, 75, 564–567.

  27. 27.

    Lutzke, L., Drummond, C., Slovic, P., & Árvai, J. (2019). Priming critical thinking: Simple interventions limit the influence of fake news about climate change on Facebook. Global Environmental Change, 58, 101964.

  28. 28.

    Marchi, R. (2012). With Facebook, blogs, and fake news, teens reject journalistic “objectivity.” Journal of Communication Inquiry, 36, 246–262.

  29. 29.

    Merchant, R. M., & Asch, D. A. (2018). Protecting the value of medical science in the age of social media and “fake news.” JAMA, 320, 2415–2416.

  30. 30.

    Nunan, D., & Yenicioglu, B. (2013). Informed, uninformed and participative consent in social media research. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 55, 791–808.

  31. 31.

    Ortiz-Martínez, Y., & Jiménez-Arcia, L. F. (2017). Yellow fever outbreaks and Twitter: Rumors and misinformation. American Journal of Infection Control, 45, 816–817.

  32. 32.

    Oyeyemi, S. O., Gabarron, E., & Wynn, R. (2014). Ebola, Twitter, and misinformation: A dangerous combination? BMJ, 349, g6178.

  33. 33.

    Ozbay, F. A., & Alatas, B. (2019). A novel approach for detection of fake news on social media using metaheuristic optimization algorithms. Elektron Ir Elektrotechnika, 25, 62–67.

  34. 34.

    Peña, A. M. (2016). Misinformed users: Improving informed decision-making on social media. Transplant International, 29,

  35. 35.

    35. Shin, J., Jian, L., Driscoll, K., & Bar, F. (2018). The diffusion of misinformation on social media: Temporal pattern, message, and source. Computers in Human Behavior, 83, 278–287.

  36. 36.

    Steffens, M. S., Dunn, A. G., Wiley, K. E., & Leask, J. (2019). How organisations promoting vaccination respond to misinformation on social media: A qualitative investigation. BMC Public Health, 19, 1348.

  37. 37.

    Sullivan, M. C. (2019). Leveraging library trust to combat misinformation on social media. Library & Information Science Research, 41, 2–10.

  38. 38.

    Talwar, S., Dhir, A., Kaur, P., Zafar, N., & Alrasheedy, M. (2019). Why do people share fake news? Associations between the dark side of social media use and fake news sharing behavior. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 51, 72–82.

  39. 39.

    Trethewey, S. P. (2018). ‘Cough CPR’: Misinformation perpetuated by social media. Resuscitation, 133, e7–e8.

  40. 40.

    Vraga, E. K., & Bode, L. (2017). Using expert sources to correct health misinformation in social media. Science Communication, 39, 621–645.

  41. 41.

    Vraga, E. K., Kim, S. C., & Cook, J. (2019). Testing logic-based and humor-based corrections for science, health, and political misinformation on social media. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 63, 393–414.

  42. 42.

    Wang, B., & Zhuang, J. (2018) Rumor response, debunking response, and decision makings of misinformed Twitter users during disasters. Natural Hazards, 93, 1145–1162.

  43. 43.

    Wang, Y., McKee, M., Torbica, A., & Stuckler, D. (2019). Systematic literature review on the spread of health-related misinformation on social media. Social Science & Medicine, 240, 112552.

  44. 44.

    Walters, R. M. (2018). How to tell a fake: Fighting back against fake news on the front lines of social media. Texas Review of Law and Politics, 23, 111–180.

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Martinez, L.S. (2021). Research on Misinformation and Social Networking Sites. In: Nara, A., Tsou, MH. (eds) Empowering Human Dynamics Research with Social Media and Geospatial Data Analytics. Human Dynamics in Smart Cities. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-83010-6_3

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