This element explores misinformation as a challenge to democracies, using experiments from Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom to assess the role of user-generated corrections on social media. A sample of over 170,000 observations across a wide range of topics (COVID, climate change, 5G, etc.) is used to test whether social corrections help reduce perceived accuracy of false news and whether incorrect corrections diminish the credibility of true news.

Corrections reduce the perceived accuracy of misinformation, but incorrect corrections can harm perceptions of true news. The element also evaluates the mechanisms of social corrections, finding evidence for recent updating effects rather than systematic processing. Additional analyses reveal the characteristics of individuals who have more difficulty recognizing false news. Research data on the traits of people who frequently comment are included.

The conclusion highlights that social corrections can be misleading but also serve as a remedy. The element concludes with best practices for effective corrections.

Pages: 98