Debunking Rumors in Networks

TL;DR

This paper models how true and false messages spread in social networks, showing that verification incentives and network homophily influence rumor persistence and that verification policies can reduce rumors.

Contribution

It introduces a new model of rumor diffusion incorporating costly verification and analyzes how verification incentives affect rumor survival.

Findings

Verification incentives promote rumor debunking.

Homophily's impact depends on verification processes.

Communication intensity alone does not affect rumor prevalence.

Abstract

We study the diffusion of a true and a false message (the rumor) in a social network. Upon hearing a message, individuals may believe it, disbelieve it, or debunk it through costly verification. Whenever the truth survives in steady state, so does the rumor. Communication intensity in itself is irrelevant for relative rumor prevalence, and the effect of homophily depends on the exact verification process and equilibrium verification rates. Our model highlights that successful policies in the fight against rumors increase individuals' incentives to verify.