Cancer misinformation on social media and its correction

项目摘要 这项研究的首要目标是衡量社交媒体上癌症错误信息的流行率和 了解其传播背后的机制。相信错误信息可能会产生严重的后果， 特别是当错误信息是关于癌症等危及生命的疾病时。我们目前缺乏 甚至是关于在线癌症错误信息的基本问题的答案。例如，有多少癌症 社交媒体上有虚假信息吗？人们如何评估信任和来源可信度？ 当癌症错误信息被纠正时，人们更新他们的信念的情况如何？什么是心理上的 这种信念更新的机制？本独立之路奖(K99/R00)由Dr. Briony Swire-Thompson打算在她之前关于以下方面的研究的基础上填补这一知识空白 错误信息在社交媒体上的流行、来源可信度和错误信息的纠正。这个 拟议的研究将得到以下三个领域的重点培训的补充：(1)增加太古博士- 汤普森的癌症知识和癌症误解(2)促进了她的社交媒体数据技能，以及(3) 促进专业发展，促进向独立研究岗位的过渡。这些 培训目标将由一个跨学科的指导团队进行监督。这个团队将由雷泽博士领导，他是一名 东北大学网络科学学院计算机科学特聘教授 研究所。共同导师将是癌症传播专家维斯瓦纳特博士和李锦记教授 哈佛大学公共卫生学院的健康传播学博士和肿瘤学家约翰逊博士 犹他大学医学院助理教授。这次培训将帮助Swire博士- 汤普森回答了三个具体的研究目标。首先，癌症在社会上的错误信息盛行 媒体将受到调查。在K99阶段，她将专注于推特，调查谁更有可能成为 接触并分享与癌症相关的错误信息。在R00阶段，这将扩展到Facebook， 我们邀请具有代表性的个人样本捐赠他们的社交媒体数据并回应调查 关于他们与癌症的关系，以及他们为什么分享信息。第二个具体目标是 调查人们如何判断来源可信度，以及在以下情况下可信度降低的程度 癌症来源是声名狼藉的(例如传播错误的信息或缺乏专业知识)。第三 具体目的是了解更新癌症错误信息信念背后的认知机制。这 将通过探索与癌症相关的错误信息是否比非癌症相关的错误信息更难纠正来进行 与癌症有关的错误信息，如果是的话，为什么？这将在普通人群和人群中进行测试 他们的近亲得了癌症。总而言之，这项为期5年的研究和培训计划将使太古博士- 汤普森将建立一个独立的研究项目，致力于了解癌症错误信息 在社交媒体上及其更正。

Project Summary The overarching goal of this study is to measure the prevalence of cancer misinformation on social media and understand the mechanisms that underlies its spread. Belief in misinformation can have serious ramifications, particularly when the misinformation is regarding life threatening conditions such as cancer. We currently lack answers to even basic questions regarding cancer misinformation online. For example, how much cancer misinformation is there on social media? How do people make assessments of trust and source credibility? How well do people update their beliefs when cancer misinformation is corrected? What are the psychological mechanisms of this belief updating? This Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00) application by Dr. Briony Swire-Thompson intends to fill this knowledge gap by building on her prior research regarding misinformation prevalence on social media, source credibility, and the correction of misinformation. The proposed research will be complemented by focused training on three areas, (1) increasing Dr. Swire- Thompson’s knowledge of cancer and cancer misconceptions (2) furthering her social media data skills, and (3) fostering professional development to facilitate the transition into an independent research position. These training goals will be supervised by an interdisciplinary mentoring team. This team will be led by Dr. Lazer, a University Distinguished Professor of Computer Sciences at Northeastern University’s Network Science Institute. The co-mentors will be Dr. Viswanath, a cancer communications expert and Lee Kum Kee Professor of Health Communication at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, and Dr. Johnson, an oncologist and Assistant Professor at the University of Utah’s School of Medicine. This training will aid Dr. Swire- Thompson to answer three specific research aims. First, the prevalence of cancer misinformation on social media will be investigated. In the K99 phase, she will focus on Twitter to investigate who is more likely to be exposed to and share cancer-related misinformation. In the R00 phase this will be extended to Facebook, where we invite a representative sample of individuals to donate their social media data and respond to surveys regarding their relationship with cancer, and why they share information. The second specific aim is to investigate how people make judgements of source credibility, and the extent that credibility is reduced when cancer sources are disreputable (such as spreading misinformation or having a lack of expertise). The third specific aim is to understand the cognitive mechanisms behind updating belief in cancer misinformation. This will be conducted by exploring whether cancer-related misinformation is more difficult to correct than non- cancer related misinformation, and if so, why? This will be tested in both a general population and a population whose close relatives have cancer. In sum, this 5-year research and training plan will allow Dr. Swire- Thompson to establish an independent research program dedicated to understanding cancer misinformation on social media and its correction.