HOAX: How perceived authority of information sources affects students’ likeliness to disseminate misinformation

Abstract

This study seeks to understand how students interact with social media and information sharing, as well as how perceived authority impacts their habits using a mixed-methods survey approach. The changing landscape of misinformation on social media has called into question what role students perception of authority has in the spread of misinformation among undergraduate students. Previous research has surveyed students on their information sharing behaviors, but has yet to broach the specific consequences of information being spread by a perceived authority. The findings from this study indicate that students rely on traditional forms of authority (such as doctors, police officers), but there is also a relationship between the emotional tone of information sources and certain aspects of students’ evaluations of source authority, such as being “verified” on traditional social media platforms. This study has implications for teaching information literacy to undergraduates.