Fake news nudging : the effects of nudges on social media users in the context of COVID-19 fake news

• Main Authors: Chai, Agnes Yeong Shuan, Hor, Wen Xuan, Leo, Rui Yan, Tan, Xin Jie
• Other Authors: Edmund Lee Wei Jian
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2021
• Subjects: Social sciences::Communication; Social sciences::Journalism::Social aspects
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/147239
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

To understand the type of nudges that are most effective in combating COVID-19 fake news, this study explores how nudge frame and nudge frequency affects the likelihood of sharing and confidence in accuracy of news. It also considers if individual-level traits such as need for cognition and psychological reactance moderates the main effects. This study features a 2 (Nudge Frame – Gain vs. Loss) x 2 (Nudge Frequency – Single vs. Repeated) between- subject experiment conducted on a Singapore sample (n=238). The results showed that users exposed to a gain-frame nudge expressed lower likelihood of sharing and confidence of news, as compared to those exposed to a loss-frame nudge. The findings advanced literature on nudging in COVID-19 fake news context, which can be used to guide practical implementation of nudges on social media platforms.