Approaches to Identify Vulnerabilities to Misinformation: A Research Agenda

Abstract

Given the prevalence of online misinformation and our scarce cognitive capacity, Internet users have been shown to frequently fall victim to such information. As some studies have investigated psychological factors that make people susceptible to believe or share misinformation, some ongoing research further put these findings into practice by objectively identifying when and which users are vulnerable to misinformation. In this position paper, we highlight two ongoing avenues of research to identify vulnerable users: detecting cognitive biases and exploring misinformation spreaders. We also discuss the potential implications of these objective approaches: discovering more cohorts of vulnerable users and prompting interventions to more effectively address the right group of users. Lastly, we point out two of the understudied contexts for misinformation vulnerability research as opportunities for future research.