Biased processing of political fact-checks on social media: testing the effects of user comments and partisan worldview on misbeliefs and political candidate evaluation

Purpose

Social media platforms offer users the opportunity to engage with fact-checking posts aimed at countering misinformation surrounding political figures. However, limited research considers how the efficacy of fact-checking messages hinges on individuals’ perceptions and acceptance of the information, with user comments and individuals’ pre-existing partisan viewpoints both presenting possible barriers to positive reception of fact-checking messages.

Design/methodology/approach

To bridge this research gap, this study conducted a 2 (misinformation exposure types: partisan worldview-consistent misinformation vs partisan worldview-inconsistent misinformation) × 4 (correction exposure types: a fact-checking post with no comments vs a fact-checking post with negative comments vs a fact-checking post with positive comments vs no fact-checking post) between-subject online experiment.

Findings

We found significant main effects of user comments and partisan worldview on political misbelief and political attitudes. Importantly, among participants exposed to worldview-inconsistent misinformation, negative comments significantly decreased voting support compared to positive comments or no comments.

Research limitations/implications

This research is significant for the theoretical examination of the interaction between user comments and partisan worldview in influencing the effectiveness of political fact-checking messages. In addition, it has practical implications for fact-checking organizations and comment moderation in the fight against political misinformation.

Originality/value

This study presents original research examining the impact of social media user comments beneath a fact-checking post on beliefs in misinformation and evaluations of political candidates. While prior research has demonstrated how partisan worldview affects the effectiveness of corrections, the interaction between social media user comments and partisan worldview has not yet been explored.