Akram Sadat Hosseini

Abstract

Misinformation in online media is a broad term to design deceitful content, such as disinformation (i.e. fake news), rumors, manipulated content, authentic material used in the wrong context 6. While misinformation in general may not be driven all the time by the intent to deceit, disinformation has indeed such aim 2.Under any form, however, misinformation undeniably poses a threat, as this content can maliciously manipulate peoples beliefs and their decisions, carrying thus a social impact. For example, misinformation about the refugee crisis affected how citizens view refugees and their attitudes towards national and European Union politics 1. Countering the

Abstract

Social media have created communication channels between citizens and policymakers but are also susceptible to rampant misinformation. This new context demands new social media policies that can aid policymakers in making evidence-based decisions for combating misinformation online. This paper reports on data collected from policymakers in Austria, Greece, and Sweden, using focus groups and in-depth interviews. Analyses provide insights into challenges and identify four important themes for supporting policy-making for combating misinformation: a) creating a trusted network of experts and collaborators, b) facilitating the validation of online information, c) providing access to visualisations of data at different levels of granularity, and d) increasing the transparency and explainability of flagged misinformative content. These recommendations have implications for rethinking how revised social media policies can contribute to evidence-based decision-making.