Popping misinformation bubbles: Results from style-based messaging into online misinformation ecosystems

Abstract Misinformation is often viewed as an information problem, attributed to people’s poor understanding of consensus-based facts. While this is a contributing factor, we propose that misinformation and conspiracy are simply more engaging explanations for our world. Can we combat misinformation by making facts fun? We present the findings of a controlled experiment testing this hypothesis, in which we tailored messaging about consensus-based information to the communication styles used by three vulnerable cohorts. Our results demonstrate that styled message generated higher engagement from users than the neutral-toned variants. We introduce our theory of the misinformation ecosystem as a way of understanding online communities and their communication styles, and profiles of three personas representative of the cohorts included in our experiment. Our findings suggest that styled messaging for consensus-based information can reach vulnerable fringe communities that are otherwise resistant to external influence, providing considerable implications about possible future interventions to counter misinformation.