Title: Effects of corrections on COVID-19-related misinformation: cross-media empirical analyses in Japan

Authors: Tsukasa Tanihara; Shinichi Yamaguchi; Tomoaki Watanabe; Hidetaka Oshima

Addresses: Keio University Graduate School of Human Relations, Tokyo, Japan ' Centre for Global Communications, International University of Japan, Tokyo, Japan ' Centre for Global Communications, International University of Japan, Tokyo, Japan ' Keio University Graduate School of Economics, Tokyo, Japan

Abstract: This study compared the characteristics of individuals who change their perceptions when they receive corrective information about COVID-19-related misinformation from different types of media. Whether people would change their perceptions through mass media information and whether through social media information were set as dependent variables. Indicators of 'need for orientation' and different types of literacy were set as explanatory variables. The results of logit model analyses indicate that people who are more interested in COVID-19 are more likely to change their perceptions if they receive corrective information from mass media outlets. People with relatively low levels of information literacy tend to change their perceptions in response to corrective information from social media. This finding suggests that individuals who change their perceptions based on social-media-derived corrective information cannot necessarily discriminate the truth or falsity of the information provided.

Keywords: misinformation; corrective information; COVID-19; mass media; social media; information literacy; media effects; Japan.

DOI: 10.1504/IJWBC.2022.122392

International Journal of Web Based Communities, 2022 Vol.18 No.1, pp.41 - 63

Received: 25 Nov 2020
Accepted: 02 Jul 2021
Published online: 22 Apr 2022 *

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