User-centered development of nudges to mitigate the spread of misinformation on social media

Bachelorarbeit im Studiengang Informatik von Bernadette Peter

Abstract: In the context of digitalization, it is becoming increasingly easy to receive and share information. But also to publish it. This also carries over to social platforms, where information and news are spread that are not necessarily always accurate. This is especially problematic because this is often the only source of information for younger people. Removing untrustworthy content is not necessarily the best solution (reactance, echo chambers creation), therefore this work focuses on the handling of misinformation through nudging. Two think-aloud studies (N =15; N=16) were conducted to qualitatively collect feedback on nudges and further develop the most promising ones between the studies. The nudges were concocted for the platform TikTok and were investigated as mockups in the second study. General requirements for nudges to be accepted and perceived as justified could be found. Influencing people to like or not like something was rejected by many participants. There were preferences in how direct and with how much information (text vs. animation) the nudge appeal was exposed to the user.

Betreuerin: Katrin Hartwig, M.Sc.

Prüfer: Prof. Dr. Dr. Christian Reuter