Exposure to Social Engagement Metrics Increases Vulnerability to Misinformation

Abstract: News feeds in virtually all social media platforms include engagement metrics, such as the number of times each post is liked and shared. We find that exposure to these social engagement signals increases the vulnerability of users to misinformation. This finding has important implications for the design of social media interactions in the misinformation age. To reduce the spread of misinformation, we call for technology platforms to rethink the display of social engagement metrics. Further research is needed to investigate whether and how engagement metrics can be presented without amplifying the spread of low-credibility information.