Unbundling Digital Media Literacy Tips: Experimental Evidence

• In Event: Misinformation, Doubt, and Distrust

Abstract

Recent studies have found promising evidence that lightweight, scalable tips promoting digital media literacy can improve the overall accuracy of social media users’ sharing intentions and potentially improve their ability to perceive the accuracy of true versus false headlines. However, existing research is designed to test entire bundles, which limits our practical knowledge about whether some kinds of tips are more effective than others and hinders our ability to theorize about mechanisms. We address this limitation by designing two experiments: First, we randomly assign participants to receive one of 10 possible tips; subsequently, we randomize the number of tips (as well as the set of tips shown within that chosen set). Our preliminary results indicate that assignment to any single tip improves sharing but not accuracy discernment on average. In our second experiment, two of the tips stand out as more promising for improving accuracy discernment, but the effect can be washed out if the bundle is too large.

Authors

• Andy Guess, Princeton University

• Gordon Pennycook, University of Regina

• Shannon C McGregor, University of North Carolina