Facebook Rumor Cascades
The term “rumor cascade” refers to the propagation of misinformation through social media posts. A study by researchers at Facebook demonstrates how readily and rapidly these false posts can spread. The researchers found that although re-shares of false rumors that are fact-checked are likely to be deleted, the cascade still propagates easily because most re-shares of the rumor are not fact-checked. Also, many of the re-shares occurred after a comment about fact-checking had been posted, indicating that many re-sharers either did not notice or intentionally ignored the comment. The researchers further demonstrated that rumors, both true and false, tend to be “bursty”, that is, they tend to experience dramatic spikes in popularity. Overall, true rumors tended to be the most viral and experienced the largest cascades.
Rumor cascades can have many implications for the beliefs of social media users. An issue of particular relevance is the propagation of misinformation leading up to the 2016 election. False news posts about both presidential candidates invaded Facebook feeds and this study may help to explain the popularity of these posts. This study also bring into question the role of Facebook in regulating misinformation to prevent dubious posts from influencing public opinion while refraining from overpowering people’s right to free speech.
http://www.aaai.org/ocs/index.php/ICWSM/ICWSM14/paper/viewFile/8122/8110