Category: Misinformation 101

Analysis on the top 1000 TikTok videos with the hashtag #mentalhealth finds misleading content in 33.0% of videos containing advice or information. Videos with misleading content were viewed, liked, commented on, and shared more, on average, than videos with non-misleading content. 

Algorithmic knowledge varies across countries with Americans reported to have the greatest knowledge followed by respondents from the UK, Mexico, and South Korea. Having increased algorithmic knowledge can lead to increased misinformation combatting activities on social media.

Artificial intelligence (AI) text analysis tools were able to comprehensively and accurately assess misleading health claims on complimentary and natural health websites in the UK. These tools therefore have the potential to help in regulatory efforts addressing the commercialization of pseudoscientific therapies.

46% of Americans on TikTok follow mid-tier influencers & content creators, and only 0.4% follow journalists, pundits, and media outlets. Nearly 60% follow accounts that post about pop culture and entertainment, and 36% follow accounts that post about stories, vlogs and personal updates. Only 10% follow accounts that post about politics, and 5% that post about news.

Americans using TikTok say they experience exposures to inaccurate or misleading information, and that the platform’s algorithm “almost exclusively” presents content that aligns with their views on political and social issues.

Children can benefit from exposures to misinformation as it leads to increased fact-checking and evidence-seeking online activities. Authors conclude that “sanitizing children’s informational environments may inadvertently dampen their natural scepticism.”

This study provides insights into when and how debunking fails to reduce polarization, and where it might instead have little to no effect, or actually increase polarization. Debunking has the greatest chance for success if it comes from organizations with an established unbiased, non-partisan, reputation, known for being committed to accuracy. 

Political polarization can be related to extreme positions on social issues (“ideological”) or to showing affection for one’s group of belonging and hatred towards the opposing group (“affective”). This research on US populations shows how polarization can have significant harms on the health and well-being of individuals and collectives.

The majority of fitspiration videos on Tiktok contain misleading/harmful diet and exercise information and are posted by fitness influencers. Male bodies are commonly presented with a muscular ideal and female bodies with a thin and fit ideal.

This research uses focus groups from non-profit organizations to examine misinformation types, impacts, and intervention strategies in Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI), Black, Latino, and Indigenous communities. It illustrates how educational strategies can be more effective by incorporating diverse media environments and by understanding and acknowledging the roots of mistrust in institutions and organizations.