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Network segregation and the propagation of misinformation
Jonas Stein1, Marc Keuschnigg2,3, Arnout van de Rijt4,5
1Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen , The Netherlands. j.d.stein@rug.nl.
Scientific Reports
|January 17, 2023
Summary
Ideological segregation in online networks amplifies the spread of false information. This partisan sorting increases exposure to implausible content, undermining online information veracity.
Area of Science:
- Social network analysis
- Information science
- Computational social science
Background:
- Homophily in online networks generally increases information diffusion.
- Partisan news, regardless of veracity, tends to spread further in ideologically segregated networks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how ideological segregation of online networks impacts the spread of misinformation.
- To determine if network segregation disproportionately aids the diffusion of false over true information.
Main Methods:
- Seeding true and false informational messages in experimental networks.
- Comparing information propagation in ideologically integrated versus segregated networks.
- Utilizing agent-based models to test robustness across network topologies and sizes.
Main Results:
- A systematically greater fraction of false information circulated in ideologically segregated networks.
- Experimental results showed a significant increase in false information spread within segregated networks.
- Agent-based models confirmed the robustness of findings across various network conditions.
Conclusions:
- Partisan sorting in online networks significantly undermines the veracity of circulating information.
- Ideological segregation facilitates the diffusion of implausible, false content.
- The structure of online networks plays a critical role in the spread of misinformation.
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