Follow Nudges without Budges: A Field Experiment on Misinformation Followers Didn't Change Follow Networks

TL;DR

This study tested whether digital ads could encourage followers of health misinformation to follow accurate sources, finding limited effectiveness and highlighting challenges in conducting large-scale social media experiments.

Contribution

It introduces a large-scale field experiment on X to evaluate ad-based social network interventions for misinformation correction, revealing limited cost-effectiveness.

Findings

Persuasive messages increased click-through rates significantly.

Overall low engagement suggests limited impact of current ad format.

Platform restrictions pose challenges for large-scale social media research.

Abstract

Can digital ads encourage users exposed to inaccurate information sources to follow accurate ones? We conduct a large-scale field experiment (N=28,582) on X, formerly Twitter, with users who follow accounts that spread health misinformation. Participants were exposed to four ad treatments varied on two dimensions: a neutral message versus a persuasive message appealing to values of independence, and a request to follow a health institution versus a request to follow a health influencer. We term this ad-based, social network intervention a follow nudge. The ad with a persuasive message to follow a well-known health institution generated significantly higher click-through rates than all other conditions (Bonferroni-corrected pairwise tests, all p<0.001). Given the overall low click-through rate across treatments and the high cost of digital advertising infrastructure on X, however, we conclude that our proposed intervention -- at least in its current ad-based format -- is not a cost-effective means to improve information environments online. We discuss challenges faced when conducting large-scale experiments on X following the platform's ownership change and subsequent restrictions on data access for research purposes.