Meta-backed research finds exposure to ‘untrustworthy’ social media is rare. Fine print is less reassuring

SYDNEY: (Jul 30) How much of what you see on social media comes from sources that repeatedly post falsehoods? And if that content quietly vanished from your feed, would you believe anything different months later?

A new study published today in Science Advances offers the most rigorous answers yet. It comes from a collaboration between Meta and academic researchers who studied the 2020 United States election. It was run from inside the machine – on the live feeds of Facebook and Instagram.

The answers sound reassuring: exposure to lies was rare for most users, and removing them did not measurably shift anyone’s beliefs. But, as a researcher who studies how misinformation permeates these platforms, I think the fine print matters more than the headline.

Source: PTI News

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