Stop the Spread: A Bi-Partisan Approach to Aligning Warning Content with Consumer Segments to Mitigate the Spread of Misinformation – MSI

Working Paper

Stop the Spread: A Bi-Partisan Approach to Aligning Warning Content with Consumer Segments to Mitigate the Spread of Misinformation

Marina Cozac, Martin Mende, Maura L. Scott, Christopher Berry, and Beth Vallen

Sep 11, 2025

Download

Conducts a series of online experiments to explore how warning labels can minimize social media sharing when the misinformation they accompany aligns with the beliefs of the targeted audience.

Topics

Consumer Behavior & Insights Social Media & Social Influencers

research recap

Stop the Spread of Misinformation: Align Warnings with Audience Values

Misinformation can reflect and exacerbate political and other differences. Even prosocial sharing to warn others can spread misinformation. Ideally, warning labels should be tailored to the beliefs, values, and identities of the audience they target. Women respond better than men, but where targeting is not feasible, generic warnings may serve.

By using MSI.org you agree to our use of cookies as identifiers and for other features of the site as described in our Privacy Policy.