Understanding the role of attention to misinformation and correction mechanisms on social media with eye-tracking technology: Implications for climate change crisis communication

Sojung Claire Kim, Emily K. Vraga, John Cook, Sydney Carver

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

Abstract

This chapter argues that studying attention to misinformation and its correction messages on social media should be the first reasonable step to further parse how this understudied cognitive process might influence their ability to shape related (mis)perceptions, attitudes, and behavioral intentions. Eye-tracking is a technology that uses nearly infrared light to identify people's attention to stimuli with to a less than a millisecond of precision. Eye-tracking research examined understudied information-processing or attention mechanisms when individuals reviewed misinformation and correction messages on social media. People's attention paths were consistent with left-to-right and top-to-bottom viewing patterns when reading the social media messages. Understanding how people allocate their attention, the most valuable commodity on social media, is of critical importance in developing best practices in responding to and mitigating harmful climate change misinformation.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationCommunication and Misinformation
Subtitle of host publicationCrisis Events in the Age of Social Media
PublisherJohn Wiley and Sons Inc.
Pages163-179
Number of pages17
ISBN (Electronic)9781394184972
ISBN (Print)9781394184941
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 8 2025

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Keywords

  • Climate change misinformation
  • Correction messages
  • Eye-tracking technology
  • People's attention
  • Social media

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