Virtual Group Identity and Peer Correction of Online Misinformation

• In Event: The Spread and Correction of Misinformation and Disinformation

Abstract

Can shared virtual group identities facilitate effective peer correction of political misinformation in the online environment? Development of Internet technologies have revolutionized the ways people communicate and identify with each other. Online communities have been functioning as gathering spaces where people share common interests and regularly interact with each other. Studies have shown that people who are active in online communities develop a sense of virtual group identity. Furthermore, this virtual group identity can often carry an expectation of shared preferences based on the shared interests of the online community. Based on social identity theory and source credibility theory, I argue that online peer corrections of political misinformation are more effective when individuals share a virtual group identity, and when the correction is against the expected preferences of the group. I test my hypotheses with a nationally representative survey and an online experiment in South Korea, where online communities are politically salient and may constitute an important part of one's political identity. This study enhances our understanding of the dynamics between group identities and political persuasion in the online environment, where the spread of misinformation has been increasingly prevalent and problematic, and contributes to the emerging body of literature committed to developing strategies to fight misinformation.

Author

• Dahjin Kim, Washington University in St. Louis