Beyond the individual: Examining how characteristics of social media information environments impact susceptibility to misinformation and the effectiveness of misinformation interventions

This thesis assesses how factors of social-media information environments influence misinformation susceptibility and misinformation intervention effectiveness. Empirical findings provide evidence that both the social characteristics and content composition of social-media environments can impact misinformation belief, misinformation propagation behaviors, and the effectiveness of nudge- and correction-based interventions. This thesis also outlines key study-design limitations in this research area, and proposes a solution to these limitations in an adaptable social-media simulator. Overall, this thesis highlights the need to consider the social-media environment in models of misinformation susceptibility, and provides a tool for future research to do so effectively.