Scrolling for the Truth: Source Factors, Persuasion, and a Test of Misinformation Interventions on TikTok

The popularity of the video-based social media platform TikTok has rapidly grown in recent years, and with it its role in rapidly disseminating misinformation to its relatively young user base. However, little is known to date about how users perceive misinformation or about how platform interventions could be deployed to stop its spread. Two experiments examined users’ perceptions of TikTok videos making claims about a current health issue (monkeypox). Study 1 tested the impact of information type (true vs. false) and source (journalist vs. influencer) on users’ perceptions of TikTok videos, with party identification as a moderator. Participants rated message credibility and source quality higher for true videos and videos with a journalistic source. Study 2 tested the efficacy of three potential misinformation interventions (a banner label, pre-roll video, and click-through warning) and the role of psychological reactance. There was a main effect of the banner label and public service announcement pre-roll video on perceived message credibility. The interventions had no main effect on source quality, but there was a mediation of the PSA pre-roll and banner label on credibility and quality perceptions through reactance. In both studies, participants had difficulty discerning between true and false claims. Implications for journalists and social media companies are discussed, along with suggestions for future research.