Doing What Is Right : Role of Social Media Users in Resilience to Disinformation

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F00216224%3A14230%2F25%3A00141264" target="_blank" >RIV/00216224:14230/25:00141264 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/20563051251342223" target="_blank" >https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/20563051251342223</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/20563051251342223" target="_blank" >10.1177/20563051251342223</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Doing What Is Right : Role of Social Media Users in Resilience to Disinformation

Original language description

Resilience to disinformation on social media relies on the user’s ability to critically assess disinformation and even counter it. Active users, who, with their actions, can curate the information environment of others, can play a crucial role in stopping the dissemination of disinformation. Their activities, such as correcting or reporting, in the decentralized social media environment may prove more effective than institutional responses. Considering this, the study looks specifically at how active users engage with disinformation. Through 60 semi-structured interviews over 3 years, we explore how crises like COVID-19 and the Russia–Ukraine war impact Czech users’ motivations and strategies. Findings indicate that users are driven by a moral obligation to provide accurate information. Both people sharing and correcting disinformation believe in their critical skills, with their desire to help amplified by crises. However, the ones correcting often face frustration and demotivation due to hostile interactions and a lack of visible impact, while the ones sharing remain persistent. Strategies are influenced by the perceptions of the individuals and the type of disinformation. Completely false information is often ignored as not worth debunking, whereas partially false information prompts active correction due to the perceived ease of rebuttal. The study highlights the need for social media platforms to support users in corrective actions and address algorithmic issues that may impede these efforts.

Czech name

—

Czech description

—

Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

—

OECD FORD branch

50802 - Media and socio-cultural communication

Project

<a href="/en/project/LX22NPO5101" target="_blank" >LX22NPO5101: The National Institute for Research on the Socioeconomic Impact of Diseases and Systemic Risks</a><br>

Continuities

P - Projekt vyzkumu a vyvoje financovany z verejnych zdroju (s odkazem do CEP)

Publication year

2025

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Social Media + Society

ISSN

2056-3051

e-ISSN

2056-3051

Volume of the periodical

11

Issue of the periodical within the volume

2

Country of publishing house

GB - UNITED KINGDOM

Number of pages

11

Pages from-to

1-11

UT code for WoS article

001498626900001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-105007019162