Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Series: Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers
Creation-Date: 2022-11-20
Number: 22-086/II
Author-Name: Alain Cohn
Author-Workplace-Name: University of Michigan
Author-Name: Jan Stoop
Author-Workplace-Name: Erasmus University Rotterdam
Author-Name: Hatim A. Rahman
Author-Workplace-Name: Northwestern University
Title: Disinformation for Hire: Examining the Production of False COVID-19 Information
Abstract: Misinformation is linked to increased social divisions and adverse health outcomes. While most research focuses on the spread of misinformation, we examine the production of misinformation intended to mislead (disinformation). Our field experiment (N=1,200) found, adjusting for circumstantial factors, 87% of workers in an online labor market completed a job requesting them to create a misleading COVID-19 graph. Viewing a disinformation graph from the experiment negatively affected people’s beliefs and behavioral responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, 
including increased vaccine hesitancy. Using a “wisdom-of-crowds” approach, we highlight how online labor markets can introduce features that may reduce the production of disinformation. 
Classification-JEL: C93, D91, J22
Keywords: disinformation, field experiment, online labor markets, immoral work
File-URL: https://papers.tinbergen.nl/22086.pdf
File-Format: application/pdf
File-Size: 1.477.754 bytes
Handle: RePEc:tin:wpaper:20220086