Feeling the Facts: Real-time Wearable Fact-checkers Can Use Nudges to Reduce User Belief in False Information

TL;DR

This paper presents a wearable system that detects claims, verifies them rapidly, and provides subtle feedback to help users discern truth in real-time conversations, improving verification activity.

Contribution

It introduces a novel wearable fact-checking device with ambient listening and haptic feedback, demonstrating improved truth discernment in a controlled study.

Findings

Significantly improved real-time truth discernment with wearable feedback.

Increased verification activity compared to no-support baseline.

System errors led to over-reliance, affecting trust and accuracy.

Abstract

Misinformation can spread rapidly in everyday conversation, where pausing to verify is not always possible. We envision a wearable system that bridges the timing gap between hearing a claim and forming a judgment. It uses ambient listening to detect verifiable claims, performs rapid web verification, and provides a subtle haptic nudge with a glanceable overview. A controlled study (N=34) simulated this approach and tested against a no-support baseline. Results show that instant, body-integrated feedback significantly improved real-time truth discernment and increased verification activity compared to unsupported fact-checking. However, it also introduced over-reliance when the system made errors, i.e. failed to flag false claims or flagged true claims as false. We contribute empirical evidence of improved discernment alongside insights into trust, effort, and user-system tensions in verification wearables.