Correcting Misinformation on Social Media: The Role of Influencer Type and Message Tone in Audience Persuasion

A 2 (influencer status: virtual vs. human) x 2 (method of correction: humorous vs. rational tone) between-subjects experiment was conducted to examine how different influencer types and correction strategies impact the recognition of misinformation. Results revealed that human influencers were perceived as more credible than virtual ones, significantly increasing followers’ positive attitudes and sharing intentions with corrective posts. Humorous tone con led to a greater perceived novelty but generally failed to significantly enhance correction outcomes; in some cases, it even led to unintended effects, such as greater behavioral intentions or positive attitude toward the misinformation.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Public Relations

Grantor

University of Houston

Year dc:date.issued

2025

Author dc:creator

• Huang, Jocelin 2000-

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Yan, Huang

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Eunjoo, Jin
• Teayoung, Lee

• Communication

Language dc:language.iso

English

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10657/19909

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:uh-ir.tdl.org:10657/19909