Stories
New Study: Counter Misinformation by Adopting Its Style
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News18•05-10-2026, 11:45
New Study: Counter Misinformation by Adopting Its Style
- •A new study suggests that adopting the communication style of misinformation can make factual information more engaging and clickable.
- •Researchers found that messages mirroring personal concerns or specific tones were significantly more likely to be clicked than neutral versions, even when linking to the same reliable sources.
- •The study observed Australian Facebook communities sharing anti-vaccination and far-right narratives, noting their use of companionship and personal language.
- •By creating personas (Jennifer, Patrick, Aaron) and tailoring ad language to their perceived concerns, researchers saw click-through rates increase by up to five times.
- •While not proving a change in belief, the findings suggest that public health teams could improve engagement by listening to community concerns and adapting their communication style.
Key Questions Answered
Ads written using language familiar to specific online communities were about 52 percent or up to five times more likely to be clicked on compared to neutral versions of the exact same advertisements.
The researchers developed three personas named Jennifer, Patrick, and Aaron to represent a young mother concerned about vaccination, a retired teacher worried about his grandchildren, and a young man interested in fitness and technology.
Meta began introducing Community Notes, a system where users write and rate explanations that appear directly alongside social media posts.
