What Motivates People to Correct Misinformation? Examining the Effects of Third-person Perceptions and Perceived Norms

Abstract

Studies have suggested that rumors may ultimately be “self-corrected” by online crowds. Following the previous literature, we explored how two perceptual factors, including the third-person perception (TPP) and perceived norms, predict people’s intentions to correct misinformation online. Our findings show that people’s corrective intentions are positively associated with both factors. While previous scholarship typically understands corrective actions as outward behaviors that identify “other people” as the subjects of correction, our study reveals that TPP and perceived norms also associate with misinformation spreader’s intentions to self-correct. Implications of these findings to the literature of corrective actions and misinformation are discussed.