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Introduction
Introduction
Messaging apps have been essential for staying connected. But these online spaces also became breeding grounds for disinformation. Through message-forwarding behaviors at an exponential rate in group chats, fake news and rumors spread fast and can have seriously negative impact on messaging app users. Some misleading messages can lead to body damage, incite hate, and confuse the public about truth.
Messaging apps have been essential for staying connected. But these online spaces also became breeding grounds for disinformation. Through message-forwarding behaviors at an exponential rate in group chats, fake news and rumors spread fast and can have seriously negative impact on messaging app users. Some misleading messages can lead to body damage, incite hate, and confuse the public about truth.
Features
Features
Easier to gain trust
Easier to gain trust
Compared with social media platforms, there are more of friends, family, and relatives in messaging apps. People are more likely to trust the messages forwarded by the people they know.
More accessible
More accessible
Disinformation is covered by daily chats, which makes misinformation more accessible than social media platforms.
Stakeholders
Stakeholders
Forward Person
Forward Person
Positive Impact
Increase influence and participation in the group.
Express kindness, care, and protection to other group members.
Negative Impact
Damage reputation.
Group Members
Group Members
Positive Impact
Good way to start a conversation with group members, evoking discussion.
Feel that they are cared by others.
Negative Impact
Distrust the disinformation forwarding person.
If forwarding, make the disinformation message spread faster.
Lead to harmful body damage.
Incite hate.
Platform
Platform
Positive Impact
Users will spend more time on the platform.
Negative Impact
Damage platform reputation.
Less active users, potentially lose users.
Regulators
Regulators
Positive Impact
Evoke public discussion about the disinformation issue.
Negative Impact
Making it more difficult for the public to identify verified facts and advice from trusted sources.
Hard for law enforcement and policy promotion.
Relationship Analysis
Relationship Analysis
Individual - Forwarded disinformation in group chats increases generational family conflicts.
Individual - Forwarded disinformation in group chats increases generational family conflicts.
Family group chats become discussion and communication places for different opinions within families. Conversations around different opinions toward disinformation may turn into conflicts if different generations share different value.
Planet - Weakened social cohesion caused by climate disinformation may delay government's actions for climate change.
Planet - Weakened social cohesion caused by climate disinformation may delay government's actions for climate change.
Disinformation about climate change are created by "climate change denial machine" and “organized disinformation campaigns” funded by vested interest in climate change - particularly in fossil fuels. Mass forwarded disinformation about climate will make public doubt government's climate actions.
Society - Political disinformation will weaken public judgment of truth and increase conspiracy theory.
Society - Political disinformation will weaken public judgment of truth and increase conspiracy theory.
Gallup poll 2020 shows 46% of Americans said the media is very biased and Pew Research Center Survey shows that Americans also distrust information from government and academia.
Society - Political disinformation will make individuals distrust government, which makes government hard to promote public health and security.
Society - Political disinformation will make individuals distrust government, which makes government hard to promote public health and security.
Fake news about vaccine included arguments that vaccines would be used to plant government tracking chips in recipients’ bodies, to poison them and thus cull the population or to subject them to medical experimentation.
Business - Misleading disinformation can harm business environment and cause the loss of money and reputation for victim business.
Business - Misleading disinformation can harm business environment and cause the loss of money and reputation for victim business.
Business - Political disinformation will make readers more difficult to trust mainstream media.
Business - Political disinformation will make readers more difficult to trust mainstream media.
Americans remain largely mistrustful of the mass media. Only 41% of Americans trust mainstream media. This may potentially reduce revenue of media companies.
Society - Forwarded disinformation messages increase crime.
Society - Forwarded disinformation messages increase crime.
At least two dozen people have been killed in mob lynchings in India since the start of the year, their deaths fueled by rumors that spread on WhatsApp, the Facebook-owned messaging service.
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