Faked Up academic library
This is a regularly updated collection of academic studies cited in Faked Up or that have otherwise caught my eye. It currently includes short descriptions of 43 academic studies and systematic reports organized in five clusters:
- Prevalence and characteristics of misinformation
- Effects of fact-checking interventions
- Prevalence, effects, formats, and labeling of AI-generated deceptive content
- Synthetic non consensual intimate imagery
- Other
Email me studies you think I should add at mantzarlis@protonmail.com!
PREVALENCE AND CHARACTERISTICS OF MISINFORMATION
The Diffusion and Reach of (Mis)Information on Facebook During the U.S. 2020 Election
📇 Sociological Science | Dec 2024 | Sandra González-Bailón, David Lazer, Pablo Barberá, et al.
et al.Made possible by access to Meta data negotiated by Talia Stroud and Josh Tucker, this study tries to characterize the spread of misinformation flagged by fact-checkers on Facebook and Instagram during the 2020 US elections. It concludes that while information as a whole primarily spread in a broadcast manner through Pages, misinformation flipped the script and “and relie[d] much more on viral spread, powered by a tiny minority of users who tend to be older and more conservative.”
The study also found a steep decrease in “misinformation trees” on election day (see chart on the right below). Counts then climb back up shortly after the election and until January 6. The researchers suggest but cannot definitively conclude that the dip is due to Meta’s “break glass” measures introduced to reduce viral reach of content on its platforms.
