Examining the influence of social media cues and platform perceptions on fake news detection

This study investigates how source credibility, collective social endorsement, and users’ perceptions of Twitter’s helpfulness for news consumption influence fake news detection on social media. We conducted a 2 (Veracity: real vs. fake) × 2 (Source Credibility: credible vs. non-credible) × 2 (Collective Social Endorsement: low vs. high) online experiment (N = 271). Results revealed a truth bias, with participants judging 60% of posts as real. Participants showed higher accuracy in identifying real news (77%) compared to fake news (57%). Source credibility interacted with news veracity, enhancing accuracy for real news while impairing detection of fake news. Collective social endorsement showed no significant effect. Notably, users’ perceptions of Twitter’s helpfulness in staying informed impacted fake news detection – participants with higher perceptions of Twitter’s helpfulness were less accurate in identifying fake news. The findings suggest new directions for combating online misinformation.