Changing the incentive structure of social media platforms to halt the spread of misinformation.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Globig LK
PROVIDER: S-EPMC10259455 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jun
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Changing the incentive structure of social media platforms to halt the spread of misinformation.
Globig Laura K LK Holtz Nora N Sharot Tali T
eLife 20230606
The powerful allure of social media platforms has been attributed to the human need for social rewards. Here, we demonstrate that the spread of misinformation on such platforms is facilitated by existing social 'carrots' (e.g., 'likes') and 'sticks' (e.g., 'dislikes') that are dissociated from the veracity of the information shared. Testing 951 participants over six experiments, we show that a slight change to the incentive structure of social media platforms, such that social rewards and punish ...[more]
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