A recent study published in the journal Telematics and Informaticshas found that individuals who use social media for news are more inclined to block sources of misinformation when they experience high levels of fear of missing out (FOMO). The study provides new insights into the social dynamics of how people manage their online environments to counter misinformation, particularly in light of the growing influence of social media on public opinion and democracy.
Prior research has largely focused on why people fall for or spread misinformation, but little attention has been given to how users respond to misinformation actively. Blocking or unfollowing sources of misinformation on social media is a method users can use to manage their information intake.
“I was interested in this topic because there’s growing empirical research on public engagement with misinformation, such as who is susceptible to it and who spreads it, but there remains a critical gap in our understanding of protective actions like blocking or reporting misinformation,” said study author Saifuddin Ahmed, an assistant professor at the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information at Nanyang Technological University.
“The discourse on combating misinformation often focuses on the responsibilities of governments and social media companies. Yet, individual users have an equally crucial role in this fight. Though not the primary methods, actions such as blocking, reporting, and community flagging can play a significant and impactful role in curbing the spread of false information.”
The first study was conducted in the United States using a sample of 527 participants. Participants were exposed to ten fabricated news headlines, five with a pro-liberal bias and five with a pro-conservative bias. These headlines were designed to mimic the appearance of social media posts and were fact-checked to confirm their falsehood. The study was conducted without informing participants of the headlines’ false nature to avoid biasing their responses. The likelihood of blocking the source of each headline was measured on a scale from 1 (extremely likely) to 5 (not at all likely).
The researchers uncovered a clear relationship between fear of missing out (FOMO) and the likelihood to block sources of misinformation. This finding suggests that people who experience higher levels of FOMO tend to block misinformation sources more frequently. Additionally, younger individuals and those who are politically interested showed a tendency to engage more in blocking behaviors.
The second study replicated the framework in Singapore with a sample of 500 participants. Unlike the U.S. study which focused on political misinformation, the second study presented participants with five news headlines related to COVID-19, all of which were also fact-checked and confirmed to be false.
The findings in Singapore mirrored some of the trends observed in the U.S. study, particularly the positive link between FOMO and blocking intentions. However, unlike in the U.S., the study in Singapore also demonstrated a positive correlation between the use of social media for news and the likelihood of blocking misinformation.
The third study expanded the sample size and included participants from both the United States (1,010 participants) and Singapore (1,008 participants), maintaining a balance across various demographics like age, gender, education, income, and race. Participants were presented with four deepfake videos featuring well-known figures making false statements. These videos were created to resemble social media content closely, ensuring that participants’ experiences mimicked real-life interactions with such material on platforms like Facebook or Twitter.
The results indicated that the use of social media for news was again positively associated with FOMO in both the U.S. and Singapore. Consistently across both countries, FOMO was a significant predictor of blocking intentions, reaffirming the role of emotional and psychological factors in driving responses to misinformation.
“I was somewhat surprised to discover that the fear of missing out is a powerful motivator for blocking sources of misinformation across various types of false information,” Ahmed told PsyPost. “It appears that this fear prompts users to actively manage their information feeds, ensuring they access dependable and accurate content, or perhaps to maintain their reputation within their social networks.”
Interestingly, the third study also incorporated cognitive ability as a variable and found that individuals with lower cognitive abilities were more influenced by FOMO in their decision to block misinformation sources. This suggests that cognitive ability moderates how psychological traits like FOMO translate into action against misinformation. The findings also highlighted the influence of conscientiousness, particularly in the U.S., where less conscientious individuals were more likely to block misinformation.
“The study highlights the importance of recognizing how individual traits and societal factors influence how people respond to misinformation on social media,” Ahmed said. “It suggests that people who frequently get their news from social media might be on high alert to block misinformation, especially if they fear missing out on important updates. Also, the findings suggest that personal development in critical thinking and responsible online behavior could enhance efforts to combat misinformation effectively.”
But the study, like all research, includes some caveats. The study included participants from two different political contexts, but it primarily focused on urban, internet-savvy users, which might not reflect broader, global social media behaviors. Future research could expand to more diverse populations and explore other personality traits that could influence misinformation blocking behavior.
“While the core findings largely remain consistent across two varying sociopolitical contexts – it remains to be seen how these relations play out in context with drastic cultural differences to Singapore and the United States,” Ahmed noted.
As far as the long-term aims of the research, Ahmed explained that his “main focus is on the impact of social media on political engagement. Lately, I’ve been delving into the effects of artificial intelligence on politics. Moving forward, I plan to further investigate how citizens react to and get influenced by misinformation generated by AI.”
The study, “You have been blocked: Exploring the psychological, personality, and cognitive traits of blocking misinformation sources on social media,” was authored by Saifuddin Ahmed, Adeline Wei Ting Bee, Muhammad Masood, and Tan Han Wei.