They Said It’s “Fake“: Effects of Discounting Cues in Online Comments on Information Quality Judgments and Information Authentication

ABSTRACT Using a mixed-design online experiment, this study examined how individuals determine the quality of information they encounter online and engage in information verification and authentication processes. An online experiment tested the effects of “fake news” labels as discounting cues on individuals’ ability to correctly identify disinformation and their motivations to authenticate it with other credible sources. Results showed main effects of this “fake news” cue in online comments on participants’ accuracy in identifying fake news, need to authenticate the information, and their reliance on legacy news channels to do so.